


The Auction

by AllTheShips8



Series: The Auction [1]
Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Abduction, Abuse, Aged-Up Yuri Plisetsky, Alpha Christophe Giacometti, Alpha Victor Nikiforov, Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Mob, Anal, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Angst, Assault, Attempted Sexual Assault, Ballet Dancer Katsuki Yuuri, Beta Phichit Chulanont, Blood and Gore, Blood and Violence, Blow Jobs, Bonding, Bottoming from the Top, Character's Name Spelled as Viktor, Confident Katsuki Yuuri, Consent is great, Dark!Viktor, Drug Dealing, Drug Use, Drugs, Dubious Consent, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eros Katsuki Yuuri, First Time, Forced Bonding, Gore, Graphic Description, Heat Sex, Heavy Angst, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Loss of Virginity, M/M, Manipulation, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Minor Character Death, Multiple Orgasms, Murder, Nesting, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Omega Katsuki Yuuri, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, POV Multiple, Phichit's hamsters are named after drugs, Plotting, Praise Kink, Prostate Milking, Rape/Non-con Elements, Rimming, Size Difference, Size Kink, Size Queen Katsuki Yuuri, Slave Trade, This will be dark, Torture, Viktor Has a Big Dick, Violence, Virgin Katsuki Yuuri, Yuri Plisetsky is basically adopted, blowjob, forced drug use and sexual acts upon a background character, i hope this has a happy ending, sterile male omegas, viktor's foot thing if you squint
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-15
Updated: 2019-06-24
Packaged: 2019-08-23 23:09:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 36
Words: 97,982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16628258
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllTheShips8/pseuds/AllTheShips8
Summary: Viktor, head of the Russian Bravata, believes another auction will pass without much excitement. Until the last item of the night is brought on stage, and his eyes land upon the world's most beautiful omega. And he knows, he must have him, at any cost.Yuuri isn't entirely sure what happened to him, until he's looking out into a sea of people from within a cage. The only thing he knows for certain, is that when it is all over, he has been sold for an absurd amount of money.





	1. The Bidder

Viktor sat in the VIP booth of the auction hall. Built similarly to a concert hall, several stories beneath the cover of the hotel, he was one of hundreds of guests regularly invited to the prestigious black market auctions. Though he rarely purchased any goods, the hall was always a place for connections, bursting with opportunity, and with it, information. Today however, Viktor was selling goods. Nothing major in his opinion, a painting from some long dead artist that Viktor hardly paid attention to when Georgie brought it to him several months back, along with a collection of rare jewels.

Flipping through the items for sale list, nothing was catching his interest. Next to him sat Christophe, his best friend and most trusted confidant. Unlike Viktor, Chris had purchased several items that night to spoil his beta boyfriend with later.

“Phit loves exotic clothing,” Chis said casually, placing a bid silently on the touch pad on his lap. Chris’ bid flashed several times on the screen above the stage before his own screen lit up green, indicating he had won the item.

“You know those clothes came with the beta wearing them, don’t you?” Viktor asked, casually crossing his legs at the knee, watching with disinterest as the mentioned beta was drug from the stage crying. He was thankful the VIP booths were soundproof.

Chris laughed. “Of course! I just want the clothes. I’ll just find the other bidder and ask if they wanted to purchase the beta from me. Did you see what number was bidding?”

“626,” Emil offered. “Would you like me to contact the auctioneer?”

“Please. For no less than his last bid.”

Viktor paid no mind as Emil, Chris’ right hand, slipped from the room. Several other items sold, Viktor’s items among them, before the last item of the night was being brought onto the stage. Resting his head on his hand, elbow resting on the arm of the chair, Viktor was sure that another auction would come and go with nothing catching his interest.

“That item looks awfully large,” Chris commented, watching as four men wheeled a large covered item to the center of the stage. Chris turned the volume on in the booth, allowing the men to hear what the auctioneer was saying.

“-item of the night is sure to catch your attention! Of all the auctions we have held, an item like this has never been bid!”

“Ooo,” Chris hummed. “Love a rare item.”

Viktor looked at his best friend from the corner of his eye. “All the items at the auction are rare. What makes this one any more special?”

The auctioneer continued to speak. “Now, ladies and gentlemen! Alphas and betas alike! For this item, we will start the bidding at _ten million US dollars!”_ Viktor raised an eyebrow at the price as the hall began to whisper. _“Tonight,_ I present to you-” the cover was whisked off the item _“-a Japanese male omega!”_

The crowd erupted into chatter, but Viktor heard none, ignoring the flash of bids continuing to rise on the screen. On the stage sat a large bird cage of intricate design in black cast iron, the offered Japanese male omega shaking in the center. His hands were bound behind his back and chained to the floor of the cage, a black cloth tied in his mouth. The man was lean with a small amount of muscle definition, powerful thighs and a soft curve to his body that came with being an omega. Black hair brushed against his forehead as he frantically looked around the hall, blue framed glasses sitting on his nose. 

He was beautiful.

Beside him, Chris sighed. “A male omega huh? That is quite rare. Pity I have no use for him, he’s quite a looker. Who do you think will buy him?”

“I will,” Viktor stated, voice serious as he lifted the touch pad that lay forgotten on the table between them.

“What?” Chris asked, watching as Viktor began typing casually. “Viktor, the kid looks half scared to death. What use do you have for a male omega? He doesn’t look like he’ll survive two nights with the Russian Bratva.”

Viktor smirked as he placed his bet, placing the touchpad back between the pair, relaxing in his seat once more. “He intrigues me. How long do you suppose it’ll take me to break him?”

The sound coming through the speakers of the hall erupted, prompting Chris to turn and look toward the commotion. On the screen above the omega flashed Viktor’s bet: _Bidder #1 $100,000,000._

Viktor’s touch screen flashed green as the auctioneer called the auction to a close, informing winning bidders where they could pick up their items. Emil had returned during the commotion, speaking with Chris about the items he had purchased. Yakov spoke from behind Viktor.

“Would you like me to retrieve your item and have it transported to the manor?” his voice was gruff, and void of any indication on what he thought of Viktor’s purchase.

Viktor’s lips remained in a casual smile as he pushed himself from the seat, turning to leave the room as Yakov followed. “No, that’s alright. I believe I’d like to retrieve this item personally.”


	2. The Item

Yuuri tried to cry out through the cloth between his teeth, but nobody so much as turned to look at him. Nobody in this place was listening to him. How was he here? This had to be a mistake. He pulled at his restraints futilely as the cage he was in was wheeled to an area with many items and people. There was a man he had seen escorted out and back before he had been brought to the stage, who was sitting alone on the floor sobbing into his hands. Yuuri swallowed, desperately fighting back the bile that threatened to choke him. He had been sold, that much he understood. But why? Who bought him? For what purpose? Yuuri’s mind whirled as the doors to the room were once more opened, people filing in and moving to different areas of the room in the search for items. Two men Yuuri knew well approached the cage.

“Yuuri! Did you see the price that you went for?” Jean-Jacques, or JJ as he preferred, clasped his hands together. “I knew you would fetch a price but never had I even dared to imagine you would bring in nearly one-hundred-and-thirty million Canadian dollars! C’est manifique!” (that’s wonderful)

Yuuri tried to speak through the gag, trying to ask questions and beg to be let go. That he didn’t understand what was going on or why the omega he considered his friend and his alpha were doing this to _him_. Was it something he had done?

“Does this mean you’ll take me to see my family?” Seung-gil asked casually, but Yuuri could see the hope in the omega’s eyes as he glanced away.

JJ pulled Seung-gil close to his body as he nuzzled the top of the other male’s head. “Of course mon chien stoicien.” (my stoic dog)

Yuuri furrowed his brows, understanding little of the French language. In truth, Yuuri only understood two languages fully – Japanese and English. But he did understand the word _‘dog’_ , and didn’t think it was in a positive context.

“Ah! JJ! I should have known you would be the seller!”

Yuuri’s eyes shot to the new voice. The most beautiful man Yuuri had ever laid eyes on was walking toward them in a leisurely manner. He had short silver hair and blue eyes that sparkled with mischief. He was tall and lean, with well-defined muscles under his expensive looking black suit. Behind him walked a balding man of thick stature.

“Viktor! What a surprise!” JJ called as the man approached. “You wouldn’t happen to be the buyer of this lovely omega, would you?”

The man smiled. “Indeed I am. You know I have a love of beautiful things.”

JJ laughed while Seung-gil avoided Yuuri’s gaze. One could practically taste the distress and confusion coming from Yuuri, but still no one turned until he began pulling on his restraints once more. The man JJ had called Viktor turned his head as if seeing Yuuri for the first time, a large smile lighting his face.

“Oh! Would you like some attention from your alpha little one?” Viktor asked in a lighthearted tone. Turning back, he addressed JJ, “It was a pleasure doing business with you JJ, do let me know when you’re in Russia. I may have some business opportunities that benefit us both.”

The two alphas shook hands before JJ escorted Seung-gil from the room. Yuuri stood still as Viktor opened the cage with a key he suspects he got from JJ. His knees felt weak and his throat tight as his hands shook in the restraints, but he stood still, muscles tense and unsure of what was coming next.

“My name is Viktor Nikiforov, and you are?” he asked, smile in place as he carefully untied the gag in Yuuri’s mouth.

Once the gag was removed Yuuri gasped for air, coughing at the sudden intake. He swallowed the saliva built up in his mouth as he wet his lips and looked up at the expectant alpha. “Um, my name is Yuuri Katsuki. Please sir you must help me! This must be a mistake!”

Viktor smiled at him as if nothing after his name had been said. “Tell me Yuuri, have you ever been to Russia?”

Yuuri blinked. Russia? “Well, no, but right now I think-”

Viktor clapped. “Well then this will be an experience! I can’t wait to show you my homeland! You’re going to love it! The end of summer is warm, but the beginning of fall is quite wonderful. Although, winter is a personal favorite of mine-”

“Will you listen to me!” Yuuri yelled, interrupting Viktor. Viktor’s smile fell, his face void of emotion as Yuuri rushed on, voice strained in panic. “I don’t know why I’m here or what’s going on or who you are but _I need to get home!_ I’m sure my family is panicked by now and-”

“That doesn’t matter.”

Yuuri stared at Viktor. “What?”

Viktor stepped closer, his body almost touching Yuuri’s as he grasped Yuuri’s jaw between his fingers, grip painfully tight. “None of that matters. Not how you got here, or what is going on around us, or anything to do with your family. _I_ am your family now. I bought you, for quite a large sum of money I might add, and thus you are mine. Your home will be with me, at my manor in Russia. There, you will reside by my side forever. You will never see your family again.” His grip tightened on Yuuri’s face, fingers turning white. _“And you will never interrupt me again. Do I make myself clear?”_

Yuuri swallowed thickly, nodding his head as best he could in understanding as thick, dominant alpha pheromones surrounded him. Viktor studied his face for a moment longer before letting go and flashing a bright smile. “Good! Now, I can’t very well bring you home dressed in nothing but your underwear! Let’s get these cuffs off.” Viktor walked behind Yuuri and unlocked the cuffs, letting the metal fall loudly to the bottom of the cage as Yuuri brought his wrists back to his front, rolling his shoulders out and rubbing his wrists. Yuuri remained silent as Viktor made his way back in front of him, gently taking a red wrist and bringing it to his lips, placing a soft kiss to the inside. “Such a pretty color,” he whispered before turning around and beckoning Yuuri to follow. The unnamed man followed behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case y'all couldn't tell or didn't read the tags, this is going to get dark. I'll be updating tags along the way but I wanted to get those tags up there so people wouldn't get invested in a story if they didn't want to get into that kind of stuff.
> 
> Next chapter: The Seller


	3. The Seller

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going back to before the auction, Yuuri meets Seung-gil and JJ.

~several weeks before the auction~

JJ’s life was perfect. His business was going well, with no mishaps or close calls recently. He was an alpha, as was his beautiful wife. Together, they shared a beautiful male omega. And how lucky was he – his omega even helped with his business when he was needed! All the omega requested in return, was that when there was time and he did a good job, JJ brought him back to South Korea to see his parents. Which was such a small price to pay for the amount of help the omega was to the business – and really, JJ loved going to see his in-laws those few times a year. Speaking of which, he was on his way to pick up said omega from his day at the omega facility. Of course, only the best treatment for his omega.

“Good evening,” the beta front desk worker greeted, a gentle smile upon her face. “Are you here to pick up your omega?”

JJ flashed his signature smile at the girl. “Yes! I am alpha Leroy. My wife dropped our omega off for the day this morning.”

The beta nodded as she called another employee on the phone, gesturing for JJ to take a seat in the waiting area while they fetched his omega. It took nearly fifteen minutes for Seung-gil to emerge with a beta caretaker, but JJ did not mind – after all, omegas were fickle creatures with their hygiene and self-care, these things could not be rushed. Seung-gil was quiet as he approached JJ, smelling fresh and content with a soft glow about him that told the alpha the omega had enjoyed his day amongst his own kind. The fairest sex was so delicate, and proper care of one required time spent with other omegas, or else they risked a depressed state, and in severe cases entered an omega drop. While JJ had only ever seen the omega drop once from his own omega – the poor thing clearly having been overwhelmed with the double bonding between him and his wife at the same time – he had witnessed hundreds of drops from the omegas whom he helped home. Omegas wondering around in society without an alpha of their own, unattended by an alpha family member? No, JJ made sure those omegas found alphas of good standing – ones who knew where an omega should be and how to properly care for one. He did his duty as an alpha, and it paid very well.

Having the visit auto-paid to his account, JJ looped his arm over Seung-gil’s shoulder and escorted him to the car. “So, mon chien, tell me all about your trip to the center!” (my dog)

Seung-gil avoided the alpha’s eyes and looked out the window, his fingers tensing upon his knees. He actively worked to keep his scent from souring. “It was nice.”

JJ hummed, clearly playing along with the familiar game. “And what did you do while you were there?”

Seung-gil swallowed the lump in his throat. He didn’t know why he still tried to dance around what he knew JJ was asking him. Maybe it was the sense of dedication he had to his fellow omegas – and that he knew what happened to them when he answered. “The meals were fresh for the season this month. They even had a fresh berry sorbet that I really enjoyed.”

“That does sound good! Perhaps the three of us will go out as a family for some when Isabella and I have our next days off,” JJ allowed. Here it came. “What about social time? Did you get to spend much time with the other omegas? You know how important that is for your health.” JJ looked at him from the corner of his eye as they stopped at a red light, though Seung-gil pretended not to notice. “Meet anyone interesting?”

“I spent most of my time in the community bath where most of the others were. Olivia and Chloe were there; I always enjoy their company. Olivia and her alpha are expecting.” Seung-gil did turn to look at his alpha now, trying to keep the hopeful tone from his voice as he made his request. He truly did enjoy the company of Olivia and Chloe – their alphas took good care of them, and the three of them had naturally drifted together the first few times Seung-gil made his way to the omega care facility. He always felt more rejuvenated when he ran into them during his visits. “She invited me to her shower in a few months. You and Isabella as well, of course. All the alphas are invited.”

JJ nodded, as if the thought of not being invited wouldn’t have occurred to him. “Well of course. How could one alpha protect so many omegas alone? They would obviously invite the mates of the omegas. Let Bella know when she gets home tonight and we’ll make it work. Other than that…” JJ let the sentence trail as he sent a look toward Seung-gil that the dance was over.

Seung-gil closed his eyes, but nonetheless spoke. “I did meet one omega. He didn’t seem to be in bad shape, per se, but it had clearly been a while since he had been to a facility. He doesn’t have an alpha, and he’s visiting Canada for six weeks. I guess he’s only been here for a few days, but he seemed excited. He’s a ballet dancer, and has an audition with a traveling ballet that’s currently here.”

A positively wicked smile graced JJ’s lips as they pulled into their garage and he turned the car off. He looked directly at Seung-gil now, and the omega knew the other’s fate was sealed. “And what do they call this omega?”

“His name is Yuuri Katsuki.”

~a few days later, Yuuri~

Yuuri smiled as he looked down at his phone, though slightly surprised. When he exchanged numbers with a fellow male omega at the omega facility, he didn’t expect the other to contact him so soon. The other male had been a calming presence in the bathing area of the facility. Yuuri knew no one when he entered, and his recent travels and preparation for the audition before coming to Canada had left him with no time to visit the facility in his home town. He had promised Minako and his family that he would visit one when he arrived, and so he had. Being so busy, he hadn’t realized how worn out from lack of companionship he had become.

Yuuri admits that when he walked into the facility, that he likely looked a little worse for wear. But everyone was welcoming and helped him out. Including the fellow male omega – Seung-gil. Male omegas were so rare, and to find another of Asian descent; well, the two had hit it off right away! They relaxed in the bathing area for most of the day, and ate their meals together in either a comfortable silence or casually talking about their homes and what Yuuri was doing in Canada.

Yuuri even discovered the other had two alphas! Something that used to be far more common in the olden days, but in modern society isn’t practiced as often considering how hard it is to perform. Omegas have two glands that are possible to form a bond on, one on each side of where the neck meets the shoulder, which become swollen and red for easy marking during an omega’s heat. While it’s possible to mark outside of a heat, it can be painful for the omega since the alpha has to bite much further down into the shoulder, and it doesn’t always take. But after a bond takes, the other gland reverts into a normal scent gland, such as the ones on the wrists, back of the neck, and inside of the thighs. For a double bond to properly take place, an omega must be in heat and the two alphas must mark the omega at the same moment. Honestly, Yuuri never thought he would meet an omega with two alphas.

Shaking his head from his thoughts, Yuuri looked back down to his phone to read the text from the other male. Apparently Seung-gil’s alphas were taking him out the next day for frozen yogurt, and were inviting Yuuri along with them. Yuuri sat on his hotel bed with a smile, but politely checked to make sure he wouldn’t be interrupting a date. Seung-gil assured him that he wouldn’t be, and offered to pick Yuuri up from his hotel the next afternoon. Tucking his phone into his gym bag, the omega figured he should get some good practice in so he wouldn’t feel guilty the next day.

Seung-gil’s alphas were very kind, and Yuuri enjoyed their company. They had even paid for his frozen yogurt, even after Yuuri had added probably too many strawberries to the top. And when Yuuri and Seung-gil were relating or having omega talk, the two alphas were content to talk with each other or smile fondly at the pair. Yuuri couldn’t help but think of how lucky Seung-gil was to have such kind and attentive alphas, and had voiced as much to the other omega.

“Are you looking for an alpha?” JJ interrupted, suddenly focused on the pair of omegas after hearing Yuuri’s statement.

Yuuri blushed and pushed a strawberry around in his cup, scooping it with some frozen yogurt. “Ah, well, eventually I guess. I’m really focused on dance right now, so I’m not actively looking for a partner.” He lifted the bite from the container, but looked at the alpha before taking the bite. “I figure it’ll happen when it happens.”

JJ smiled at Yuuri while Isabella held a bottled water out to Seung-gil, who gratefully took a sip. “Isn’t it scary traveling to another country all alone though? An alpha from your family didn’t accompany you?”

Yuuri swallowed the bite in his mouth and shook his head. “It can be daunting at times, but then I meet nice people like you all and everything works out.” Yuuri smiled, not paying attention to the slight shift of Seung-gil. “I try to avoid traveling to places that have high crime against omegas anyway. My parents are both betas, so my sister as an alpha has to stay and help our parents at the onsen in case any guests get rowdy or drink too much.”

Yuuri took another delightful bite of his yogurt as he turned to join Isabella and Seung-gil’s conversation. Apparently, the other omega had a friend who was expecting a baby soon, and the pair were talking about shower gifts. Yuuri smiled, and barely caught JJ’s words.

“Such a shame there’s no one to care for you.”

~five weeks later~

“Thank you for inviting me over!” Yuuri bowed to Isabella when she opened the door for him and JJ, who had gone to pick the omega up from his hotel.

“Of course, Yuuri!” Isabella greeted, stepping back to allow the two in. Yuuri could see Seung-gil down the hall in the kitchen pouring drinks. “Tomorrow is your big audition! And then you will be leaving for California, no?”

Yuuri took his shoes off and smiled as JJ gave his wife a kiss, the three making their way toward the kitchen. “If I get accepted, yes. The ballet holds rehearsals there. But if I don’t get in, then I’ll be returning home to Japan.”

“Well, we all hope you get accepted, Yuuri,” the female alpha told him as Seung-gil handed him a glass of iced tea. “Now, why don’t you two go sit down at the table, and JJ and I will bring everything out?”

Yuuri and Seung-gil held pleasant conversation while they waited, though Yuuri couldn’t help but notice the other seemed rather tense. The other waved off the concern, saying he was just nervous for Yuuri’s audition the next day. Dinner was lovely, full of proteins and meats, and even a cup of gelatin with fruit in it for dessert! But as Yuuri and Seung-gil talked after dinner, the two alphas cleaning up the dishes despite Yuuri offering to help, he began to feel sleepy. Perhaps the excitement of the day, the good food, and his nerves for the audition were catching up to him. It barely registered when JJ lifted the omega into his arms, Yuuri’s head rolling back to see Seung-gil give him an apologetic look.

~present~

“What are you thinking about, my dear?”

Yuuri turned from the window to the alpha next to him. The entire plane to themselves, Viktor’s private jet he had said, and still the alpha wouldn’t give him any space. At least now he had clothes; a gray sweater so soft he never wanted to take it off, not that he would admit such a thing, that came to his mid thighs, and black leggings. When the alpha raised an eyebrow at him, Yuuri realized the other was waiting for an answer. “I was trying to figure out what day it was. I remember Sunday, August fifth.”

Viktor nodded, signaling for the one attendant on the plane with a casual wave of his hand. “It’s Thursday the ninth now.” Four days. Yuuri had lost four days. He turned to the attendant when she arrived. A young looking beta woman. “Please fetch a blanket. My Yuuri would like to rest before we arrive.”

Yuuri frowned at the alpha’s words. He was quite tired, but his nerves were still so on end that he doubted he would be able to rest at all even if he wanted to. Looking at the alpha, the man who had purchased him at an auction as if he were nothing more than a decoration, had only raised his voice at the omega once that day, but Yuuri didn’t trust enough to let his guard down.  
Viktor placed the blanket upon Yuuri when the attendant brought one. It was fluffy and very soft. Yuuri ran his hands over it. Such a blanket was perfect for nests. Yuuri furrowed his brows and bit his lip gently. When was his next heat scheduled for? If it truly was Thursday the ninth, then he had just over three weeks before his heat. Which means he would begin feeling the urge to nest in just over two. He had two weeks to try and find a way out the nightmare in which he had found himself.


	4. The Accomplice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Seung-gil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one is short but we had quite a bit of Seung-gil in the last chapter

Seung-gil felt awful, just as he did every time he “helped JJ with his work.” Though, this time the omega couldn’t help but feel slightly worse. He had done this job hundreds of times. Befriend a lone omega at the facility, invite them for dinner, drug the dessert, and be done with it. Usually, JJ took care of the sales personally, but this time he had entered the poor omega they lured in that sketchy black market auction his alpha attends twice a year in New York. Usually JJ was only a buyer, but when the timing of Yuuri Katsuki, a rare male omega, and of Japanese descent at that, had come along only weeks before the auction, JJ had decided he would enter the omega as an item.

It made Seung-gil sick.

He wasn’t a fool; he knew that more often than not the omegas he helped lure were sold off to men and women who weren’t the best alphas. But with each omega Seung-gil liked to think that they went to nice homes. He didn’t fool himself with thinking the omegas would find love with their alphas, but he liked to think they were at least comfortable. Like his own situation, perhaps. Seung-gil might not love his alphas, but as long as he was obedient and didn’t step out of line, they treated him decently. He was never starved of food or companionship with fellow omegas. Occasionally he could even deny advances from his alphas, who were content for the most part sleeping with each other when Seung-gil “wasn’t in the mood.”

He was never in the mood.

Not that he would ever tell his alphas that. He feared doing so would result in repercussions. No; he only denied advances as often as he dared. But aside from that aspect, and the job he was doing for his alpha, his life was one of comfort. He didn’t have to work, because of course omegas didn’t work when their alphas were so capable, and he wanted for no material good. Every few months, when he was good, JJ even brought him to see his parents back in South Korea. And after the amount of money JJ made from the sale of Yuuri Katsuki, Seung-gil might be able to convince him to extend the amount of time he can spend with his family by a few extra days. Maybe even spend the holidays with them.

He allowed himself a smile at the thought, not missing the large grin that spread across JJ’s own face at the sight of Seung-gil’s rare smile. For added measure, Seung-gil released some happy pheromones when their pair were in the rental car on their way back to the hotel they were staying at – JJ never had them stay in the hotel the auctions were held in. The scent further set the alpha into a good mood as he let out a pleased sigh. Seung-gil watched the people on the streets from the car window, thoughts drifting back to Yuuri Katsuki. No, he couldn’t even trick himself into thinking there was a chance the other omega could have a decent life, let alone one filled with any form of comfort or happiness. Not after he had seen who the buyer had been.

Viktor Nikiforov.

The mad was the ruthless Pakhan of the Russian Bravata. Seung-gil had only had the misfortune to meet the man a handful of times, usually at the auctions. Or rather, it would be more accurate to say he had been in the presence of the alpha, rather than have met him, considering the two had never exchanged words. Viktor had commented on Seung-gil’s presence the first-time JJ had brought him around, but had never spoken to the omega directly. Which was fine with Seung-gil. The alpha’s presence alone made his blood run cold and his skin crawl. At first glance, the alpha seemed pleasant, and not at all like the rumors of him seemed to portray.

But at that first meeting Seung-gil had been present for, Viktor had invited them to dinner so he and JJ could discuss business, and some beta trying to gain favor with Viktor had interrupted the alpha while he was speaking. Like switching off a light, Viktor’s eyes had turned dark and cold. The sparkle of lighthearted jest was gone, replaced with an anger so deep it could only be described as rage. Without missing a beat, Viktor had pulled a gun from his behind him and shot the man. And just as quickly as he had changed, Viktor was back to discussing business with JJ, who hadn’t even flinched at Viktor’s actions.

They say the eyes are the window to the soul. And if it’s true, then Viktor’s soul is tarnished and warped beyond saving.

Which is why Seung-gil knew there was no helping Yuuri Katsuki. The man doubted the fellow omega would live long under the care of Viktor Nikiforov. Honestly, besides alpha instincts, Seung-gil wasn’t sure if the man knew what omegas needed to remain in good health. Or if the man wouldn’t just off the omega when he tired of him.

~present~

Yuuri did not sleep on the plane, though he had made an effort to relax. As much as he could in the situation. Though now they had landed, and were in the back of a black SUV on their way to the Nikiforov manor, as Viktor referred to his home. The ride there Yuuri became more and more anxious, his body going tense as they pulled up to a gate guarded by four men dressed in black suits and sunglasses, despite the overcast of the day. The house was surrounded by forests that Yuuri couldn’t even begin to guess how long they went for, only by how long the drive in had taken. Eventually the car pulled up to what Yuuri could only describe as a mansion. The place was huge, with men in black suits by the front door and more entering and exiting. Yuuri swallowed, looking at the Alpha beside him.

“Who are you?” Yuuri dared to ask, speaking up for the first time in hours.

Viktor sent him a look that Yuuri couldn’t read. “I have told you my name little one.”

Yuuri turned back to look at all the people and the large manor as the car rolled to a stop, the driving coming around to open Viktor’s door. “No, I meant…”

Viktor had exited the car and come around to open Yuuri’s for him, holding his hand out to help the omega from the vehicle. A wicked smile spread across his face, his eyes alight with amusement. Yuuri felt his blood run cold as he allowed the alpha to help him from the car as the alpha finally answered what Yuuri had been trying to ask.

“My dear, I am Viktor Nikiforov, and I am the Pakhan of the Russian Bravata.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Only a few more chapters of side character points of views before we get back to full chapters of Viktor and Yuuri


	5. The Confidant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christophe

Chris had his assistant, Emil, pack and send off all the items he had purchased during the auction while he finalized details with Rodrigo, AKA buyer 626. Emil had managed to convince this Rodrigo, a rather stout man with a handlebar mustache, to buy the beta that had been on stage before Viktor’s omega, for the final bid the man had offered before Chris, as well as agree to offering some information. Of course, Chris didn’t know if the information would be useful or not, but since he hadn’t planned on receiving any information, his expectations were not high. The alpha was just glad his assistant always worked so hard, and had the foresight that Chris sometimes forgot when he was having fun. Chris watched his phone and waited for the money transfer to enter his account before pocketing the device and flashing a smile at the man. Neither paid any mind to the previously purchased beta crying as Rodrigo’s men hauled him from the room.

“So! This information you mentioned you could offer,” Chris prompted.

Rodrigo nodded, his face serious as he accepted a smartphone from one of the men behind him. “Yes, I believe you will find more use for this information that I will. You of course speak French?”

Chris nodded and accepted the phone when it was held out to him, a video already playing. He raised an eyebrow when he saw who was on the screen. Interesting.

_(in French) “Yes, commander, I believe I have found an opportunity to infiltrate. We have to take this chance while it is available to us. I don’t know how long the chance for me to get in will be available.” The man in the video paused, listening to the other end. “Thank you, sir. Nikiforov won’t know what hit him.”_

Chris had to refrain from smirking as he handed the phone back to Rodrigo’s man. “So, good ol’ officer Lambiel is going to try and sneak into Nikiforov manor?”

Stéphane Lambiel was an officer in his home country of Switzerland that Christophe knew well, as the man had tried several times over the last several years to catch Christophe in some dirty deals. Unfortunately for the officer, Christophe worked exclusively in the information business. While a great deal of his sources came from working with people, a large portion of information the past several years has been through long-distance hacking, or selling devices that could do the job for them. Officer Lambiel had yet to find sufficient evidence to even bring Christophe in for questioning, though he had tried many times. It was no secret that Christophe’s best friend was Viktor Nikiforov – they had been friends since they were children. It was also no secret that Officer Lambiel had followed Christophe to Russia under the guise of assisting the Russian police force with a case. It appears the case he was assisting with had to do with Viktor. Chris had no doubt the officer was hoping by helping the Russian police force take down Viktor, that they will uncover evidence to take down Chris as well. What a fool.

“Have your men forward that video to my assistant. And thank you for the information. If you find yourself in Russia in the near future, I’ll have my boyfriend cut you a special deal on his products.”

Rodrigo smiled and thanked Christophe for their deal as Chris turned to leave. He couldn’t wait to fly back to Russia. Phichit had a large business deal the day before, and had thus been unable to accompany Chris to New York for the auction this time around, and he missed him terribly. Chris found Emil at the entrance to the hotel, their bags already loaded in the back of the rental car as  
Emil opened the passenger door for Chris when he approached.

“Nikiforov has gone ahead with his omega. Yakov boarded a passenger plane before them to prepare the manor for their arrival. So, it is just you and I that will be flying back. I have booked first class tickets on a direct flight.”

Chris waited for Emil to round the car and enter the driver’s side before he spoke. “Thank you, Emil. And as I’ve said, no need to be so formal when it is just the two of us.”  
Emil smiled. “Of course, sir.”

When the pair arrived back in Russia, Emil dropped Chris off at his flat before taking his leave. Chris checked his appearance in the mirrored elevator as the floors ticked by, bringing him to the penthouse he needed a key for the elevator the enter. He knew his wonderful beta would be waiting for him. Preferably without clothes. And that was more or less how Christophe found him when he entered. A smile lazily spread across the beta’s face as he lounged on the couch in a red crop top and boxers, his hand casually reaching back over the end of the couch toward the alpha.

“Welcome home,” Phichit greeted, pupils blown wide as some substance worked its way through the beta’s system. “You should have called. I would have waited for you.”

Chris chuckled as he removed his jacket and tie, working on the buttons for his dress shirt. “Oh, mon cher, I wanted to surprise you. Wait till you see all the things I have bought you.” (my dear)  
Phichit hummed, allowing his head to roll into the touch when Chris caressed his face. “Mm, I missed you.”

Chris smiled fondly down at the beta. They had been together for a few years now, and he was like no other man Christophe had ever met. For the upcoming holidays, Chris planned on asking the beta if he could mark him. It didn’t work the same way as an alpha to an omega, as Phichit wouldn’t be bound to him since betas don’t have bonding glands, but having an imprint of his teeth upon the smaller man would help his alpha instincts. Of course, they would register with their home countries as mates, so there would be a legal binding. But that was mostly for show.

“How far gone are you, my love?” Chris asked, scooping the smaller man into his arms as he began walking them toward the bedroom.

Phichit began placing slow and sloppy kisses to Chris’ neck, before nibbling playfully at the alpha’s ear. “It was just a few muscle relaxers. I’ll be pretty moldable under you while you fuck me,” he breathed.

Chris shivered as he laid the beta upon the bed, the younger man little more than a doll at that point. A wicked smile crossed his face as he ran his hands up the other’s legs, over his stomach and under the crop top, ready to pull it from the other. “Then, I can do whatever I want to you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just about done with character backstories for now! Then we'll get back to full chapters of Viktor and Yuuri at Nikiforov manor! 
> 
> I have added a continuation of this chapter in the series as a stand-alone titled "The Confidant and The Dealer" - it is just smut, so reading it or skipping it will not affect the rest of the story
> 
> Also! I had a wonderful commenter by LIAG do a translation for us! When Chris is watching the video, this would be the translation in French:
> 
> "Oui, Commandant, je pense avoir trouvé une opportunité pour m’infiltrer. On doit saisir cette occasion tant qu’elle est encore là. Je ne sais pas combien de temps il peut me rester pour pouvoir y pénétrer."
> 
> The man in the video paused, listening to the other end.
> 
> "Merci, Monsieur. Nikiforov ne sait pas ce qui l’attend."


	6. The Omega

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It seemed like people wanted to get straight into more Viktor and Yuuri, so that's what I did! If you wanted Phichit backstory, do not worry! He will be back in a few chapters with his own dedicated to how he came to where he is, and then he will be meeting Yuuri! But we'll do a couple with Viktor and Yuuri first!

Yuuri held his breath as he looked up at the alpha before him. He could feel his palms and the back of his neck begin to sweat at the word “Pakhan,” and he knew the bitter scent of his distress was leaking out around him from the way Viktor sniffed the air. Yuuri tried to pull his hand away, but stilled when the alpha tightened his grip, simply raising an eyebrow at the omega in a way that seemed to question Yuuri’s actions. As if wondering if Yuuri dared to act out against the alpha. Yuuri relaxed his body and took several moments to rein his scent back in, careful to not release any pheromones. Normally, Yuuri was fairly good at controlling the release of his emotional pheromones, though the natural scent of an omega could not be blocked without scent blockers or suppressants – which could still only be purchased by an omega’s alpha in many countries – but the past twenty-four hours has left Yuuri spiraling out of control with anxiety.

Viktor seemed pleased with Yuuri’s actions, because he released Yuuri’s hand, instead telling him to follow him into the manor. Yuuri swallowed the lump in his throat and clenched his hands to keep them from shaking as he followed the alpha. He had no idea what was going to happen once he was through those doors, but he knew he needed to do one of three things: Find a phone, which he suspected he would find inside; escape before his heat; or survive until somebody rescued him. Surly by now his family was looking for him. They had to know he was missing, especially after he didn’t contact them after the audition he clearly missed. Yuuri could do this. Somebody would come for him. And if they didn’t, he would get out before his heat. No, he would get out before his nesting urges stated. Because if he didn’t, Yuuri wasn’t sure what would happen to him.

He wished he knew more about omega rights laws in other countries. But he knew nothing of Russia.

“Come, I will show you our room,” Viktor was telling him, pulling Yuuri from his thoughts of his fate. “Of course, I called ahead of time and had the whole place cleaned. I know how you omegas are so sensitive to smells, especially where you sleep. I’ve had everything in the room replaced, including the bed and carpet.”

Yuuri followed Viktor up a flight of stairs and through several confusing hallways. Along the way the pair passed many alphas and betas, none of which made any eye contact but all bowed to Viktor. If Yuuri hadn’t seen the way Viktor reacted back at the auction hall, in a country Yuuri still wasn’t sure was Canada or not considering the amount of days he lost, he almost wouldn’t believe that Viktor wasn’t joking about being the Pakhan of the Russian mafia. Other than that once, the alpha had been treating Yuuri fairly kindly, if not stereotypically. Working and growing up in his parents’ onsen, Yuuri had met his fair share of alphas, and even the occasional beta, who believe omegas to be too weak to care for themselves. More than a few even believed omegas were incapable of independent thought without an alpha to guide them. And while general thoughts about omegas were true for some, those same thoughts were equally untrue for others. Growing up in the onsen, scents didn’t bother Yuuri as much as other omegas he had met at care facilities over the years. In fact, other than his nest and the week leading up to his heats, the scents of others didn’t bother the omega.

Yuuri paused in his following of Viktor down a long hallway with no doors other than the one he suspected they were going to in the center of the hall on his right. His nest. He had thought the same thing on the plane, though that thought of his nest had been focused on his inevitable nesting leading up to his heat. But in truth, Yuuri had always been a strong nester, even before he presented. He had always had a preference for soft blankets and fluffy pillows, piling as many as he could onto his bed to sleep amongst before he presented. After he presented, his omega instincts kicked in and he began the trial and error process of building safe and sturdy nests. Yuuri knew many omegas who only nested during their heats, but he was one of many omegas he knew who kept a nest all year, separate from their heat nest.

“Did I not tell you to follow me?” The harsh tone caused Yuuri to lift his head and focus on the alpha stopped only a few steps ahead. There was a harsh look across his features.

Yuuri took a few hasty steps forward, stopping just out of arms reach of Viktor. His advancement seemed to please the alpha as his features began to relax back to the casual look he had held for most of the day, though his eyes were still dark as they watched Yuuri’s every move. “Sorry, I got lost in thought.”

“About?” Viktor’s voice was suspicious as he looked down at the other male.

Yuuri tried to maintain eye contact, but caved to his desire to look away as he glanced to the side. His voice held strong though. “It’s nothing important. You were going to show me the room I’ll be staying in?”

Viktor narrowed his eyes as he stepped forward, turning Yuuri’s face back to his with a casual firmness. Yuuri could tell the alpha worked to keep the growl from his voice. “What were you thinking of that would have more importance than my explanation of the room?”

Yuuri’s eyes wavered as he looked into the blue orbs of Viktor Nikiforov. Still, Yuuri didn’t want to risk the alpha becoming angrier with him than he already was, and thus decided to tell the truth. He didn’t want to know what Viktor would do if he was caught lying. “I was thinking of how hard it will be to sleep without my nest.”

Viktor visibly relaxed and his eyes seemed to lighten back with their usual sparkle as he released Yuuri’s chin, instead lightly rubbing the omega’s head in an affectionate manner with a chuckle. “Oh little one, there is no cause for concern. I have had nesting kits prepared for you in the room. I wouldn’t be much of an alpha if I didn’t even provide materials for my omega’s nest, now would I? Now come, I will show you.”

Yuuri bit his tongue at the comment, barley keeping himself from lashing out at the implication. He was, of course, nobody’s omega. He belonged to no one. He was un-bonded and had no mate. Nobody owned Yuuri Katsuki. Although, he supposed Viktor would think otherwise. The man had technically purchased Yuuri for no small sum of money. In Viktor’s eyes, he owned Yuuri. And Yuuri was not about to start an argument with an alpha he knew very little about, over a technicality.

Viktor threw open the double doors in a dramatic fashion, turning around so his back was to the door and his arms out wide as he walked backwards into the room. “Here we are!”

Yuuri followed the alpha into the room, his eyes wide as he looked around. Indeed, everything in the room was brand new, and smelled heavily of scent neutralizers and cleaning supplies. In the center of the room was the largest bed he had ever seen, and briefly wondered how one would make it. He supposed it took more than one person. The sheets were a comforting gray color, and to the side stood two end tables with lamps. To the right of the room was a closed door, that Yuuri suspected was a large walk-in closet, if the size of the room was anything to go by. To the left was a door that lead to what Yuuri could see was a large, stylish bathroom in black and white. But what caught Yuuri’s attention the most, was what appeared to be a large bird cage, similar to the one he had been in at the auction. It was large, and seemed to be built into the wall at the corner. There was a small sliding door within the cage in the wall, that Yuuri was unsure what it lead to.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?” Viktor commented, gazing fondly upon the cage in the top left corner of the room. “You were so stunning in the one in New York, that it pained me to think I would never see you in such a way again.” Viktor held his hand out to Yuuri, calling the omega forward. Yuuri hesitated for only a moment, his blood running cold at the thought of being locked within once more. 

“Of course, the black iron was very pretty, but not nearly as beautiful as you. You outshone that cage. You deserve something far more elegant. Come, give it a feel.”

Yuuri reached out at Viktor’s insistence, and gently ran his shaking hand down the surface of the cage. “Marble,” Yuuri said in wonder. And it was. Cool to the touch, the entire cage was built of white marble with silver veining. When he looked at the door to the cage, he barley allowed a small ray of hope to bloom within him. “If the whole thing is made of marble, is it just for show?”

Viktor chuckled as he moved to the opposite side of the bed, returning with a long, thin box which had been upon the dresser. “I assure you, the entire thing is functional.” Viktor removed the lid to the box, revealing a silver key with a smooth marble handle. “Shall I show you now?”

Yuuri felt his anxiety spike at the thought, and quickly shook his head, taking a hasty step away from the cage. “No!” Viktor narrowed his eyes at the outburst, and Yuuri saw his fist clench around the key in his hand. Yuuri rushed on, desperate for an excuse. “I mean, I haven’t explored to room yet!”

Viktor seemed to accept the excuse, placing the key inside the pocket of his dress pants rather than the box. “Of course my dear. Please, be my guest.”

Viktor waited, casually leaning against the bed as he watched Yuuri explore the rest of the room. Yuuri had been right, the bathroom was quite large, as was the walk-n closet. The bathroom held a double sink, a tub large enough for several people, and an open style shower with too many knobs and shower heads. Likewise, the tub held several knobs and water spouts, and Yuuri feared he would never learn how to operate the bathroom. The toilet had its own separate door just beyond the sinks. Though it did not escape Yuuri’s eye that the bathroom had been stocked with _Omega Safe_ products. The closet had been organized into two sides, with one side mostly empty save for a few outfits. The other side held many expensive looking suits. Beneath both sides where hanging clothes were displayed, were several sets of drawers, which Yuuri did not bother to look through at the moment. When he exited the closet, he saw Viktor smiling warmly at him as he stood and fidgeted with the end of the sweater.

“Well, what do you think?” Viktor sounded almost…eager, to hear Yuuri’s response.

“Um, it’s all very nice.” Yuuri started, carefully watching the alpha’s reactions. “The bathroom seems a little complicated, though.”

Viktor nodded, as if he were expecting such a reaction from a lowly omega. “Of course. I will show you how to use everything later. Did you look through the drawers on your side of the closet?”  
Yuuri frowned. “My side?”

Viktor strode over to him, casually grabbing Yuuri’s hand as he walked back into the closet. “Yes, your side.” Viktor pulled open two drawers on the left side of the closet – the side which held only a few sets of clothes. The drawers held several very expensive looking collar and cuff sets. Yuuri paled as he looked at Viktor’s pleased expression. He couldn’t be serious. “Now, we will of course have to go over the rules of the house, but for now why don’t you pick a set out and then you can build your nest while I do some work.”

Yuuri looked from the collar and cuff sets to Viktor, then back down. “You... you want me to wear these?” When Viktor nodded, Yuuri clenched his fists, meeting the alpha’s eyes with determination. But instead of anger, Yuuri was met with only amusement. “I am not a pet! Do you plan to put me on a leash and take me for walks as well?”

Viktor smirked in amusement, and spoke in a tone that said he was being patient, as if with a child. “Now, now, my dear, no need to act such a way. This is for your own safety.” Yuuri paused at the words from the alpha, his own eyes going wide at the suggestion. “You are un-bonded, the scent clear everywhere you go. I’m sure you saw, but there are many alphas within my home.” Viktor picked up a collar and held it up to Yuuri’s neck, nodding in satisfaction. The collar was red, full of rubies, with a matching cuff set. “The collar will help protect your bonding glands, and the cuffs will help protect your scent glands. Or, would you rather risk the exposure?” Viktor raised an eyebrow, and the light in his eyes told Yuuri that he knew what the omega’s answer was going to be from the start.

Yuuri cast one last glance at the collar in Viktor’s hands, already unlocked, before turning around in defeat. Yuuri held his breath and gave a repulsed shudder that he hoped the alpha took in any other way, as Viktor ran his long, slender fingers over where the bonding gland would be on Yuuri’s left shoulder. Once Yuuri heard the click of the lock snapping into place on the back of his neck, Viktor placed a gentle kiss to the back of Yuuri’s head. Yuuri took a steadying breath, before turning around and offering his wrists to the alpha. The omega ignored the triumphant look upon the alpha’s face as he secured the cuffs in place, and pocketed the key to the set. Yuuri would not admit that the material on the inside of the set felt very smooth against his skin.

“Now, I will get you set up to begin your nest before I need to complete some work,” Viktor told him as he lead Yuuri from the closet, removing the key to the cage from his pocket. Yuuri did not miss the action, attempting to stop but the alpha just pulled him along.

“Wait! You don’t mean for me to build my nest in that cage!” Yuuri could hear the panic in his own voice, but couldn’t get himself to care. Nests were supposed to be safe places! How could he build a nest in such a place? In the open where anybody could see it? This was too much, even for as strong as Yuuri was. He would have to play the omega card. “Viktor! Please! That is not a safe place for a nest! Don’t you have a nesting room?”

Viktor stopped pulling Yuuri across the room as they reached the cage, though he turned to Yuuri in surprise. Yuuri saw his nostrils flare and knew the alpha was smelling his distress. Viktor pulled Yuuri into a hug, enveloping the omega within his arms as he released calming alpha pheromones. Yuuri worked mentally against the urge to calm down at the scent, refusing to find comfort in the scent of his dangerous alpha. Though inside him, Yuuri’s omega fought against him, practically melting at the scent of fresh pine and rainwater.

“Oh, little one, do not worry. Our room is the safest place in all of Russia,” Viktor insisted in a gentle voice. His reactions and quick switches in personality were like a rollercoaster to Yuuri, and one he wanted to get off immediately. “The only people who are allowed in this room are you, myself, and my two head maids – both betas, do not worry. We will be the only ones to see your nest, though if you wish, I can have curtains installed around the cage that you may draw so only the two of us will see your nest.”

Yuuri resisted the urge to whine in distress at the mention of their room, something he clearly overlooked. Of course Viktor would not allow Yuuri his own room. But, at that moment Viktor was being kind, and Yuuri knew the alpha would not let him go, but he couldn’t let the opportunity pass to at least see if he could build his nest somewhere not in the alpha’s room. So, Yuuri sniffled and released some sad pheromones. “Is there no way I can build my nest in a nesting room? What if I need to use the restroom?”

Viktor placed his head upon the omega’s as he rubbed his back, Yuuri’s fists clenched at his sides in the alpha’s embrace. “No, you will build your nest here, where I can best keep an eye on you. The door in the cage leads directly into the toilet room in case you need to use it.” Yuuri’s heart began beating wildly. If it lead directly into the toilet room, he could exit through the bathroom and escape while Viktor was away from the room. “Of course, you will need to be leashed to the cage when I am away. After all, we are still un-bonded until your next heat.” Yuuri’s heart sank once more at the mention of the leash, _just like a pet,_ but just as quickly became distressed at the mention of his heat. Viktor took notice of the change in Yuuri, pulling back to offer a look of comfort. It was not. “We can discuss your when your heat will be and our bonding later when we go over the rules of the house. For not, let me get you situated with your nesting materials. I have much work to catch up on while I have been away.”

Yuuri resisted fighting the alpha as Viktor moved to a chest near the cage along the wall and removed a rather sturdy looking black leash, which the alpha attached to a small hook near the base by the door in the wall, before pulling Yuuri into the cage and securing the leash to the back of the collar. Yuuri suspected the leash was just long enough to get him into the toilet room, and around the cage as he pulled, testing its strength. There was no way he was strong enough to break the material. Viktor exited the cage once more, and pulled several nesting kits from the trunk. They were generic kits, though Yuuri could already tell they were high-end quality. Yuuri had always preferred personalized nests, and of course he preferred shades of blues, occasionally some pink, but he had used kits several times, especially while he was traveling and could not afford to pack all his nesting materials. He would make do with the nesting kits.

Besides, he did not plan to be there for very long.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is Viktor
> 
> Also, I can't believe I got so many chapters out today!


	7. The Alpha

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter with Viktor is quite short, sorry! Just wanted to get Viktor's thoughts on what's happened so far out there! He'll have longer chapters soon I promise (since this is a Viktor x Yuuri story)

Viktor scowled as he closed and locked the door into his bedroom, the omega’s scent no longer clouding his mind. He knew, of course, what game the omega was playing with him; intentionally releasing his pheromones in an effort to manipulate the alpha. Viktor smirked as he made his way toward his office on the first floor, fiddling with the keys in his pocket. The omega had strong pheromones, affecting Viktor in a way he hadn’t foreseen, indicative of a strong mate, as well as a strong biological connection. While the strong biological connection meant that the omega’s scent would have a strong effect on Viktor’s alpha instincts to protect and care for the weaker male, it also meant that the alpha would have a stronger influence on the other as well.

Yes, it would work quite well in Viktor’s favor. While omegas could train to control their scents and pheromone release, either to mask their scent partially or to try and evoke certain emotions from an alpha, omegas did not have the same kind of power that an alpha had over an omega. An alpha’s scent was laced with dominance, and the stronger the alpha, the stronger the scent. Even un-bonded, Viktor’s scent could bring the weaker sex to its knees in submission, and on several accounts, had forced weaker alphas to submit from his scent alone.

Now, after bonding. A wicked grin split across Viktor’s face as he strode into his office, taking little note of the documents upon his desk. After bonding, his omega would be practically helpless against Viktor’s alpha command. The omega could fight it, but doing so would be very painful. Not worth the struggle, in Viktor’s opinion, but he supposed he’d have to wait and see how his omega would react.

His omega.

Yuuri.

Viktor had to admit, he liked the ring to it more than he initially thought he would. The game Yuuri was playing with him was amusing for now, so Viktor would play along. He would play the part of the doting alpha when it suited him, luring his Yuuri into a sense of security. That is, as long as his omega didn’t step out of line. Viktor wondered how long it would take the omega to rebel; because Viktor knew he would. The fact that being sold at an underground auction, brought to another country, and Viktor revealing himself as the Pakhan hadn’t sent the omega into a drop told Viktor all he needed to know about the strength Yuuri possessed. A strength to survive. Then, Viktor wondered how long it would take the younger man to break.

Signing some documents, Viktor smiled to himself. Yes, once the younger man began to crack, it would be easy to give that final push that would shatter the omega completely. Then, if Viktor was not tired of the other man by then, he could build and form the omega into exactly who he wanted as a mate. Someone who was strong enough to not flinch when Viktor came home covered in another’s blood, and would keep his cock warm at night. That was who Viktor wanted. Although, until they were bonded, Viktor knew he couldn’t let the omega wander around the manor unattended. Especially since they had not discussed the rules of the manor yet, nor Viktor’s expectations from the omega before and after bonding. Thoughts of bonding had Viktor’s mind wandering, questioning when the omega’s next heat would be. Omegas had a heat every ten weeks. Viktor hoped he didn’t have to wait that long.

Viktor’s work phone chimed with a notification, drawing his thoughts back to the tasks at hand. The sooner he completed them, the sooner he could return to his omega. Viktor put the pen down and grabbed his phone, rolling his neck and hearing it pop as he noted it had been a while since he had a proper sleep. He slid the phone to unlock, revealing Chris had sent him a video attachment with the message, _“picked up some interesting information for you. Be by the manor in a few days when I know more.”_

Pressing play, Viktor watched a video of the officer who had been trying to catch Chris for several years now, discussing with another on the phone how he planned to infiltrate Nikiforov manor. Chris had, of course, informed Viktor that the officer had followed him from Switzerland, and had teamed up with a division in the Russian force to try and take them both down, as soon as it had happened. Viktor’s men within the force, which was most of them, at this point, had kept an eye on things, casually destroying any evidence or planting false evidence to lead the team astray. So, nothing had ever come quite so close as this supposed plan. Viktor smirked, his canines flashing a brilliant white in the light of his office.

_Oh, Officer Lambiel, getting in to Nikiforov manor isn’t the hard part. It’s getting out._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Let me know what you guys think of the characters so far! Especially if you're enjoying Yuuri and Viktor's characters so far!
> 
> Also! I have posted a continuation of Chapter Five (I will go back to chapter five and add a note to that chapter as well) of Chris x Phichit's sexy time. It is posted as a stand-alone within the series called "The Confidant and The Dealer"


	8. The Dealer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phichit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phichit's backstory! I debated spreading his backstory throughout the next few chapters, but in the end I decided it made more sense to give you all the feels for Phichit before he starts interacting with Yuuri, so it got kind of long. I thought the longer backstory would leave less people confused in the future

~Sixteen years prior to present~

Phichit was six when he was first exposed to the world of drugs, but he thinks he remembers it clearly. As clear as a memory the use of drugs has tried to erase can be. He wished the memory would be less clear. He wished any detail, any at all, from that day would become fuzzy.

The day was clear. And it was day. The middle of the day and sun shining bright. There were birds chirping outside the window of their apartment and kids laughing, enjoying their summer break. Not the type of day one would typically think when picturing a child being exposed to drugs. Nothing like western movies displayed. It was much too nice of day for what was going on inside his home.

Phichit watched from the couch, clad in matching pajamas that were covered in cute little hamsters, as his mother came home. With another man whom he did not know.

The pair kissed their way over toward where Phichit was sitting on the couch, and he scooted to the far end to make room as his mom urged the man to lie onto his back. Using his foot, the man nudged Phichit from the couch onto the floor with a sense of urgency. Phichit watched from the ground as his mother straddled the man’s hips, breaking the kiss as she sat up.

The man looked at Phichit. “Your brat going to watch?”

Phichit’s mother giggled, something Phichit only saw her do when she brought strangers home. “He won’t bother us. He’ll leave soon.”

His mother reached into the couch and pulled out a cloth packet that the young boy did not know was there. He watched in fascination as his mother rolled the cloth out on the man’s stomach, before picking up the needle and small vial it revealed.

“What the fuck is that?” the man asked, though made no move to stop Phichit’s mother as she prepped the needle.

She flashed a smile down at the man as she readied it at his vein. “It’ll enhance the experience. Free of charge.” Phichit’s eyes were glued as the needle disappeared into the man’s arm. The man groaned, and Phichit snapped his eyes up, worried the man was in pain, only to see a look of satisfaction upon the man. Phichit looked back at his mother as she tucked the cloth packet back into the couch, casting him a smile over her shoulder as she unbuckled the man’s belt. “One day, this will be your job. Now, go along and play, mommy has work.”

~Eight years prior to present~

Phichit was fourteen the first time he tried drugs. Over the years, he had seen his mother bring home many men and women, alphas and betas alike. And each time, she brought someone new home, she pulled out that little cloth packet, and gave the customer a dose of what Phichit assumed now, in his teens, was heroin. It took Phichit another several years from that first time he saw his mother use drugs on one of the people she slept with, to realize that prostitution was not his mother’s job. It was her side-gig, to attract customers to her main job. Dealing drugs. It didn’t take long after that discovery, the realize that his mother had been implying that Phichit would take over her drug company when she was older, not that he would sell his body. Unless he wanted to, but by this point his mother had quite the collection of loyal customers, only finding new ones when old ones overdosed, or on the rare occasion got clean.

It had been a while since his mother had brought a stranger home, but when she stumbled through the door, her face was attached to that of a pretty alpha woman. They worked their way over toward the couch, and Phichit stood, moving out of the way just in time for the pair of women to go tumbling over the side. Usually by now, Phichit left immediately, but this time he stuck around, watching as his mother injected first the alpha woman before giving herself a small bump. His mother wasn’t young anymore, though still attractive enough to lure both men and women into her web. When he first saw her shoot up herself, she claimed it was because she needed the energy to keep up with the younger clients. This time, before she could roll the needle and vial back into the worn cloth, Phichit stopped her. She made eye contact with him though her pupils were starting to overtake the brown.

“Give me a bump,” Phichit requested, holding out his bare arm. He was muscular and lean at fourteen, his veins easily recognizable within his arm.

His mother’s hands shook as she tried to get the needle back into vial, and Phichit gently took both from her, slipping the cloth from between the women before his mother could lean down to sloppily make out with the alpha. He sat, uncaring as his mother stripped the alpha, and took not even a quarter of what he saw his mother use. To be honest, he had no idea how much was too much for a first time, but he was a strong, young beta male at fourteen, and he was confident he would not overdose with such a small amount.  
He didn’t feel anything but cold liquid enter his veins at first, but after only a moment his head began to feel lighter. His vision swam and he had to lean against the wall across from where his mother was shamelessly eating out the alpha. He didn’t want to watch his mother fuck someone, but he felt he didn’t have too much energy to stand and walk away. His head felt airy but his mind raced a million miles a minute. He felt like his muscles were too heavy, like he was too slow, but at the same time like he had too much energy. Phichit would forever describe that first high as if he were a gas manifestation of energy, trapped inside a body of stone.

~Six years prior to present~

Phichit was sixteen when his mother overdosed with a client.

She had gotten sickly thin, her face, arms, and chest covered in sores as she battled with addiction. Battled. It was a word that was often used by sympathizers and those who sobered up. Battled. Phichit scoffed every time he heard the word used to describe an addict. They weren’t battling, in his eyes. A battle was someone who fought against something they didn’t bring upon themselves. Battle was something the sick did when they got cancer. His mother was not battling as she laughed in their living room, riding the dick of some alpha who insisted they take a second bump together. No, Phichit would not describe what his mother did as a battle.

Phichit was old enough not to be considered independent by the government. He would need to find his own income, and provide for himself. Phichit was smart, he knew he wouldn’t be able to support himself enough right away to afford living in the apartment, as shitty as it was. But this month’s rent was paid, so he had at least a few days to figure something out. By the end of the month, Phichit had sold everything that didn’t fit into a single duffle bag, and packed his mother’s drugs into a backpack. He split the cash he carried evenly between his pants pocket, the duffle, and the backpack, just in case. He had work to do.

~Four years prior to present~

And for the next two years, Phichit lived on the streets, building his empire from the start his mother left him. Her customers were old, but Phichit had gone to school with their kids. And if there was something Phichit knew he could capitalize on that his mother didn’t, it was that kids weren’t so into heroin as the older generation was. No, his generation was into Yoba. Yoba was one of those drugs that seemed harmless at first, something to do for fun at parties every once and a while. By the time the addiction snuck up on the poor fool, it was too late. _That,_ was how Phichit started his drug empire. In those two years, he worked to build himself into Thailand’s number one elusive drug lord. 

The “elusive” adjective was important to the eighteen-year-old beta, because there were a few big shot drug lords above himself, but in the past year had all managed to get themselves caught. Possibly through anonymous tips from phone booths and burner phones. Phichit would never tell.

By this point, Phichit was already hiring out help to sell to the customers left dry by the arrests of their dealers, leaving Phichit as the only option. It didn’t take long for the title _The Dealer_ to be attached to Phichit, implying he was now the only dealer worth mentioning.

He was.

It was around that time that a handsome Swiss alpha knocked on the door to the warehouse Phichit operated from. The beta stepped through the door, keeping a suspicious eye on the alpha who had far too dazzling a smile, and was far too clean to be a typical druggie. He gave off, _I’m the police,_ vibes. Phichit didn’t trust it.

“May I help you?”

The man extended a hand, flashing Phichit another smile as he introduced himself. “My name is Christophe Giacometti. I’m here to proposition you, Mr. Chulanont.”

Phichit narrowed his eyes and ignored the outstretched hand. “How are you so sure that I’m him?”

The grin on Christophe’s face had turned positively wicked as he retracted his un-shook hand, pulling out a cellphone and tapping for a few moments. “ _Well,_ I don’t mean to brag, except that I do,” he cast a wink at Phichit, who rolled his eyes, “ _but,_ I am pretty good with technology. You see, I work with my friend, a very powerful man, whom a partnership with would be mutually beneficial.”

Chris turned the phone around for Phichit to see, and his eyes went wide. On the screen of Chris’ phone, were pictures and more evidence than would ever be needed to tie the beta to the identity of _The Dealer,_ put Phichit away for life. If not longer. He swallowed, then glanced up at the smiling alpha.

“You have my attention.”

It hadn’t taken long for Chris to convince Phichit to join forces with the Russian Bravata. The Pakhan, who was apparently the friend Chris had mentioned, was looking to expand some of his businesses. Particularly his weapon and drug smuggling. With the reach, Phichit would make more money, and could even run things from a distance, separating himself from the likelihood of being arrested in Thailand. The deal was sweet, and at eighteen it was a no-brainer that he would take it.

It also hadn’t taken Christophe long to convince Phichit to join his bed. Chris stayed in the fanciest hotel in the area, in a suite that came with bottles of champagne. Phichit had dabbled in drugs on occasion, though mostly just those used to party. Ecstasy was one of Phichit’s favorites, as were prescription painkillers, sometimes one or the other was mixed with alcohol. After that first hit of heroin those four years prior, he hadn’t tried again. Oh, he had wanted to, but he knew how easily one could become dependent upon the drug. And if he was dependent upon the drug, well, who would run his empire? But Chris, he was as clean as clean could be. Phichit had seen babies come from the womb with more experience using drugs than the alpha. The only drug Chris used, was alcohol. But still, did Chris love to party.

That first night they were together, Chris had called in all kinds of friends, and Phichit sold more than a fair amount of drugs, for more than the usual price. And while the rager went on, Chris had taken one of Phichit’s Ecstasy tablets, and gently pushed it into the beta’s mouth. The alpha had then taken a large swig from a bottle of champagne, and kissed him, letting the bubbly liquid pour from the alpha’s mouth into the beta’s, a small trickle running down the beta’s throat as their tongues danced.

~Present~

Phichit felt a kiss upon his forehead as he blinked his eyes open. Chris smiled down at him gently, watching as the beta carefully tested moving his muscles, finding them stiff. If he thought Chris was going to be home so soon, he would have waited on getting high. He had quite enjoyed what he could remember of their night, Chris being attentive and so slow with his attentions before fucking a bottle of lube into Phichit’s ass. Phichit scrunched his nose as he wiggled his hips, feeling the offending liquid trapped within with a plug while Chris laughed.

“You deserved that, for starting the fun without me,” Chris teased, winking at the beta as he stood. “You get cleaned up, and I’ll start breakfast. I have some work to do today.” Chris popped his head back into the bedroom just as Phichit was literally rolling himself from the bed. “Oh, and don’t get high tonight. We’re going to need to go to the manor tomorrow.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to thank everyone for your support! Your comments have been so encouraging!
> 
> For now, the backstories should be all caught up enough for us to spend a while focusing on Viktor and Yuuri (yay!), but I felt these past few chapters of backstory on characters were important so we could all see where their behaviors come from and how they think before they all start interacting with each other :) Also! Let me know what you thought of Phichit's backstory!
> 
> And for now, look forward to some more tragic Yuuri time :)


	9. The Captive

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri reflects on his situation

Yuuri tried his best not to cry as he assembled the _one-hundred percent temporary nest,_ he assured himself. His eyes stung from the salt of unshed tears, but Yuuri refused to cry. _Refused._ At least, until the nest was finished. Then, and only then, might he allow himself to cry through his frustrations and fear for his situation. But he wouldn’t let himself, not until then. Nor would he allow himself to think of the very real and very dangerous situation in which he found himself.

So, until then, he worked. He opened each nesting pack, carefully separating first which fabrics he liked the most, and which would absolutely not make it into his nest. _Suede? Really?_ He didn’t care for the texture, but he had met several omegas over the years who would reinforce the sides of their nests with the material. But Yuuri wasn’t like that, he preferred softer materials. His favorite from the packs provided to him was an enormous blanket which had a soft, fluffy texture to one side, and smooth silk on the other. Yuuri set the blanket aside to be the final piece of the nest as the overlay blanket which he could snuggle under.

Next, he worked to separate the colors into three piles. His favorites, which would make it into the nest no matter what; the ones that would clash with the first, and throw off the appeal of his nest; and finally, the ones that would work if Yuuri found there were not enough in the first. Ever since he started nesting, Yuuri preferred dark and light shades of blue, the occasional pink or soft purple, and neutral grays to complement the construction. But, as the saying goes, beggars can’t be choosers, so greens, blacks, whites, and darker purples all made the cut for the nest. Once that was decided, Yuuri set to work constructing his nest. He laid first padded material to the bottom of the…cage…before lying soft materials atop.

Yuuri had already begun braiding and weaving the desired blankets together, when he frowned and looked around the cage. Typically, Yuuri liked to build a square nest, reinforced with the headboard and baseboard of his bed, but he didn’t have a bed. His eyes glanced toward Viktor’s bed, the omega side of himself noting the beautiful iron bedframe which would be ideal for building a secure nest. Yuuri shook his head, throwing that thought away. He would allow the thought that it would provide stability to the corners of a nest, but not his. He would have to find something else. Looking around the cage, he could build his nest into the front and use the bars, but he didn’t like the idea of someone being able to reach in and disturb his nest. No, he would have to build a circular nest in the center of the large cage.

It was only when Yuuri had already folded the undesirable nesting materials, and was wrapping himself into a human cocoon of the final blanket he had set aside, did Yuuri realize he had worked hard to build his nest. Of course, he always put great effort into his nests – his omega side demanded and nagged that he do so – but he hadn’t planned on putting so much effort into the nest. He wouldn’t be in it long, and it was the most unsafe nest he had ever built. While Yuuri enjoyed having an attractive nest, considering he spent a great deal in his nests even outside of heats, many omegas had their personal nests only filled with things that made them calm – and didn’t typically look very appealing. No, appealing nests were meant to attract mates, and that isn’t what Yuuri was trying to do here. What he should have done, was built the most unattractive nest he could – make that alpha believe he was a default omega with no ability to build a nest to raise young, and be done with the whole ordeal. Taking a glance at the discarded materials set neatly outside the bars of the cage, Yuuri briefly wondered if he should do just that, when a soft _click_ sounded, alerting to the unlocking of the bedroom door.

“Yuuri,” Viktor’s voice reached him before the man came into view. A wide smile lit up the man’s handsome face, though Yuuri refused to admit it almost made him catch his breath.  
“Oh, Yuuri! Your nest is lovely! And look at you! You look so warm all wrapped up!”

Yuuri had pulled himself into a sitting position so he could watch the alpha as he approached the cage, but didn’t dare move from the nest nor unwrap himself from the giant blanket, only his nose and eyes behind his glasses daring to peak through. Yuuri moved his eyes to follow the alpha as he stopped before the large pile of discarded blankets outside the cage. Viktor gestured almost lazily toward the pile.

“Not to your liking?”

Yuuri could hear his pulse in his ears as his heart dropped into his stomach at the alpha’s words. He popped his whole head out the blanket, speaking in a rushed voice, quick to explain himself so as not to anger the temperamental alpha, “No! That’s not it! They were all fine! I could tell just from feeling each that they were of high quality! Much higher than I’m used to. It’s just my nests are normally blue and gray, sometimes pink, but there wasn’t enough of those colors so I had to pick ones that would complement well and I just didn’t end up needing all those blankets.” Yuuri was rambling, word vomiting information in an attempt to get Viktor to see his side. This wasn’t some alpha he could just mouth off to or anger and be fine in the end. This was Viktor Nikiforov, Pakhan to the Russian mafia. He likely had more connections that Yuuri could ever think up. And if he wanted an opportunity, no matter how small, to escape before his stronger nesting urges begin before his heat, he needed the alpha to trust him. If only the barest amount.

Viktor nodded, as if pleased with the information. “Oh, my Yuuri. Look at you, able to adapt so well. You built such a nice nest even without everything you needed.” Viktor put a hand on his heart and crouched down to be eye level with Yuuri in a way that would seem sincere if it weren’t for the amused glimmer in his eyes. “I apologize; next time I’ll order more materials that I’m sure you’ll enjoy.”

Yuuri tried not to cringe at the words _“next time,”_ but knew Viktor caught his eye twitch in distaste. Luckily, Viktor ignored it as he stood and turned toward the door, calling out to someone who had clearly been waiting on the other side. In came a beta woman dressed in a white button-up and black slacks with an apron around her waist. Clearly a maid, as she pushed a cart with a single covered tray. Beside the tray was a bottle of water, along with a glass of orange juice. Yuuri looked to Viktor, waiting, only just now realizing he hadn’t eaten in over a day, having refused to do so on the plane. When he thought about it, the last meal he had eaten was at the LeRoy household nearly five days ago. Yuuri was surprised he didn’t have a headache.

The servant removed the lid and bowed to Viktor, not bothering to even glance in Yuuri’s direction as she made her exit. Viktor pulled the key to the cage from his pocket but made no move to unlock the door. _Oh, gosh. Was Viktor planning to make him watch while the alpha ate?_ Yuuri thought that would be an all new level of cruel.

“I’ve had lunch prepared for you,” Viktor told him, eyeing the omega as if gaging his reactions. “Nothing heavy, since it’s been a while since you’ve eaten. Soup, some bread.” Viktor looked at the cart then back at Yuuri. “There’s some watermelon as well, in case you think you can stomach it later. May I enter and bring you the food?”

Yuuri blinked for a moment, not fully processing what Viktor was saying as he stared at the cart; but as soon as he processed what was said, his entire head snapped up to look at the alpha. Viktor waited patiently for Yuuri to answer. After everything Yuuri had been through, he didn’t expect Viktor to show proper alpha etiquette, asking permission to enter the area he deemed to be solely Yuuri’s. While Yuuri’s actual nest was only the center of the cage, there had been enough materials for Yuuri to fill the cage if he had desired. He supposed Viktor recognized the entire cage as the omega’s nest.

Which means, he could turn the alpha away.

Maybe.

Was this a test? It was probably a test. One Yuuri did not want to fail.

But if it wasn’t a test…

No, Yuuri could feel his stomach eating itself. He needed to eat.

Body tense, Yuuri resolved himself as he nodded. He watched as Viktor unlocked the cage door, stepping inside first with the two drinks, offering them to Yuuri. Yuuri took the offered drinks and slammed the orange juice first, not bothering to question it in his desperation to have something more than water in his stomach. When he pulled the glass from his lips, Viktor was stepping back inside the cage with the bowl of soup, having already placed the bread and fruit within reach of Yuuri. While Yuuri expected the alpha to set the soup beside the other food, he sat within the cage, though outside of the physical nesting area. Viktor lifted a spoonful of soup and blew gently, before holding the spoon out to Yuuri, the bowl balanced upon the alpha’s long legs.

Yuuri looked suspiciously at the way Viktor moved the spoon, trying to coax the omega into eating. Looking at the thickness of the soup… “It’s not poisoned, is it?”

Viktor laughed, pulling the spoon back toward his body to hover over the bowl in case he spilled as he shook his head. “You think I would spend all that money on you, bring you across the world, reveal my identity and set you up in my private quarters, just to poison you with soup? For what purpose?”

Yuuri’s cheeks flushed in embarrassment at how ridiculous he sounded being so cautious when the alpha put it that way. Though his embarrassment quickly turned to astonishment as he watched Viktor raise the spoon and eat the food before his very eyes. Viktor offered Yuuri a triumphant smile as he readied another bite. This time, Yuuri gladly accepted the offered food, as embarrassed as he was to be fed. Every so often, Viktor would rip off a piece of bread and dip it into the soup before feeding him. Yuuri even managed to eat a few pieces of watermelon before he felt he was going to burst from so much food. Yuuri took a few slow sips from the bottled water as he watched Viktor pack the dishes and the rest of the food Yuuri couldn’t finish back onto the cart, and calling the maid once more. He supposed she stood outside the door the whole time.

“I hope that helped you feel better,” Viktor finally spoke, startling Yuuri. The pair had sat in silence while Yuuri had eaten. Now, Viktor was closing the door to the cage, and Yuuri watched with dismay as it locked. “However, I need to return to work. I’ll likely be out most of the night, so a maid will bring you dinner later. I’m sorry you’ll have to spend the night in there, but I doubt you’ll be awake when I return, and I don’t want to disturb you if you are. I have a guest coming to see you tomorrow that I think you’ll enjoy.”

Yuuri felt like he was looking at an entirely different person than before, as the alpha explained what would happen for the rest of Yuuri’s evening before he left. For several moments, Yuuri just looked after where the alpha had gone. After those few moments, his mind began to wander to the behaviors of Viktor Nikiforov. Maybe he was only thinking the alpha was bad, because the man had purchased Yuuri at an auction, collared, and locked him in a cage.

 _The collar is for your own protection,_ Yuuri’s omega mind reminded him. 

That’s right, the collar was meant to protect Yuuri against other alphas bonding him while Viktor was away. The cage probably prevented Yuuri from running into those alphas.

Yuuri shook his head. Even if Viktor was only a misguided alpha, treating Yuuri the way he has because he was raised to believe that was how one treated, dare even say _protected,_ an omega, the man had still purchased him. Viktor was still the leader of the Russian mafia, and Yuuri knew he was a temperamental man. He had shown so at the first meeting when Yuuri raised his voice and interrupted the alpha.

 _But that was the only time._ The rest of the time Viktor had been more or less, well, kind. If not more than a little odd. Yes, the rest of the time Viktor had provided Yuuri with clothing, food, and a place to nest. Even if that nest was in an open space where others could see it, he supposed technically no one could touch his nest, and thus Yuuri. It was a secure place for a nest.

_Especially after Viktor installs those curtains._

Yuuri shook his head once more, burring himself completely within the blankets. He had to stop thinking like an omega being courted and more like a captive. He needed to find a way to escape. Yuuri’s eyes shot open wide as he recalled Viktor’s words.

_“I have a guest coming to see you tomorrow that I think you’ll enjoy.”_

. 

.. 

… 

…. 

… 

.. 

. 

Viktor smirked to himself as he locked the door to the bedroom once more. He turned to the maid outside, waiting patiently with the cart of Yuuri’s unfinished food just as he had told her to. She knew her place as she kept her eyes downcast. Viktor liked this maid. 

“When you bring him his dinner, ignore anything he says. He might try and convince you to let him go.” 

“Yes, Pakhan,” the maid replied obediently, taking the cart toward the elevator. 

Viktor knew when he saw Yuuri’s nest that he had made a wise purchase. His Yuuri had built a fine nest, especially considering he only had a few hours to construct, and apparently, the color selection was not to his liking. Yes, his darling omega had worked hard to construct an attractive nest. Viktor knew enough about omegas to know that outside of a heat, omegas typically had unattractive nests. 

Unless they were seeking to attract a mate. 

Taking one last glance at the locked bedroom door with a smirk, Viktor made way for his office once more. Oh, Yuuri might not realize it yet, but his omega was crying out for attention from Viktor’s alpha. Eventually, Yuuri would have no choice but to accept what his omega wanted. 

And Viktor would make sure the omega got what he wanted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thanks for reading! As always, let me know what you think!


	10. The Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phichit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one has three different perspectives in it, but I felt it was important! Let's get some Yuuri and Phichit interaction going!

~Viktor~

Viktor worked late into the night as he prepared for the next day. Chris was bringing him as much information as he could about Officer Stéphane Lambiel and his plan to infiltrate Viktor’s manor. Leaning back into his chair, he briefly wondered how the man would attempt such a task, but decided thinking about it would give him no answers, and he would just have to wait for Chris’ information.

Chris was also bringing his beta boyfriend Phichit Chulanont with him. Viktor liked the young man, he was easy-going but ruthless in his work. The man knew how to get a job done, and that was good for both of them. Phichit wasn’t technically part of Viktor’s Bravata, but he considered the beta under his protection all the same. The now twenty-two-year-old had been a business partner with Viktor for four years now, both sides having an equal gain. Viktor aided Phichit in expanding his dealings to several other countries, and provided protection, while Viktor had those same men offering protection running guns. Viktor also got to extend his own drug business by passing the reins to Phichit, who’s men would sell Viktor’s high quality cocaine along with Phichit’s products. The sale of Viktor’s products was split with Phichit – Viktor took 70% and Phichit took 30%. It created a nice little cushion of expendable income for them both.

Viktor skimmed through a document that had been pre-approved by his assistant Yakov, so he didn’t need to spend too much time reading thoroughly. It had to do with the project he and Phichit were actually collaborating on at the moment – a new drug that would change the game for many. Especially JJ’s omega trade. The first batch had come out with enough success for them to confidently move forward with their research, and Viktor could practically feel the world crumbling beneath his feet already. If all went well, large drug cartels, small time crooks, and slave traders alike would be emptying their pockets directly into his hands. And society would be in chaos.

A wicked grin spread across his face as he made his way back to the bedroom, locking the door behind him and casting a quick glance toward his omega. Yuuri was so far bundled under the blanket in his nest that if Viktor didn’t see the faint rise and fall of said blanket, he would almost question if the omega had escaped. Almost. Viktor was confident in his security as well as the stability of the cage. His Yuuri wasn’t going anywhere.

Stripping his clothes where he stood, Viktor made his way toward the bed. The maid would take care of the clothes in the morning. When he woke, Viktor would have to teach Yuuri how to use the shower and bath while they discussed the rules of the house, along with the all-important information of when Yuuri’s next heat would be. As Viktor settled into the bed beneath soft gray sheets, facing the omega, he couldn’t help but smile. He couldn’t wait to have his Yuuri sleeping in his arms. But not tonight. Yuuri was clearly still scared enough to act rashly, and Viktor knew if given the chance the omega would try and escape during the night while Viktor slept. Not that he would be able to escape in such a way. Viktor had always been a light sleeper, and any attempt at fleeing from the alpha’s arms would stir him into wakefulness. Besides, if he wanted to lure the omega into trusting him, he needed Yuuri to believe he was being trusted in return. And that would take carefully planned time.

In fact, Viktor already had that plan carefully constructed. He just hoped the plan he had worked well with the information Chris would bring him in the morning. Chris could help him with his preparations, while he let his Yuuri socialize with Phichit. Normally, Viktor would assign his most trusted guard, Otabek, to the task of guarding his Yuuri and Phichit during their social time, but the man was currently away. He had assigned the man the task of assisting Yura on his first real out of jurisdiction mission. Yura was eighteen now, and Viktor truly did need to stop treating the young man like a child, but he just couldn’t help it.

Viktor had stumbled across Yura when he was a small pup, not even old enough to attend school. The poor pup had lost both his parents and his grandfather that same day, and Viktor had graciously taken him in. Granted, most of the actual raising of Yura had been done by Yakov and his wife Lilia, since Viktor was only fifteen at the time. Viktor had only just lost his own father, having lost his mother at a young age, and had been freshly appointed as the new head of the Bravata – the youngest in several generations. As such, Viktor had taken to accompanying his men on missions within his Saint Petersburg jurisdiction to build confidence amongst the men that he would be a strong leader. During the mission where he encountered Yura, a small gang of slave traders had been killing the families and taking small children to sell. While Viktor wouldn’t go out of his way to shut down anything outside of his jurisdiction, within his territory he had a rule – no children. Children were not to be killed – roughed around a little on occasion he could overlook – and no children were to be sold for any trade. One or two families get murdered, and the child goes missing, and nobody thinks twice. But ten. Ten families and twelve children. Yura’s family made eleven. After Yura, only three more children were able to be located and rescued, dropped off at a local police station to be brought to living relatives. But Yura had no one. And now, after fourteen years, Viktor felt like a big brother to the smaller man.

Viktor had to admit, he was worried about Yura presenting as an omega as he got older, delicate features and a feminine body through his youth. But his fears were for naught, as nearly five years ago Yura had presented as an alpha. And while he still had delicate features, they were no longer soft cheeks and jawlines, instead having a sharper edge to them that only aging will provide. Still shorter than Viktor, Yura had only grown several inches in his teens and was now even height with Otabek, also a short alpha. Viktor pretended he didn’t know that the pair were hooking up, even cared for the other’s safety, because admitting he knew would only embarrass Yura further. It wasn’t often two male alphas decided to be together, but it wasn’t as unheard of in today’s time as it used to be. Times changed, and he knew that eventually Yura would confide in him. It was part of the reason Viktor so often assigned Otabek to tasks involving Yura.

But since the pair were away, Otabek was not available to assign to his Yuuri tomorrow. He would have to assign a random guard within the house for the duty tomorrow, and get his plan rolling after he and Chris discussed information in the morning. Because oh, was his plan wonderful.

~Yuuri~

Yuuri woke to the sound of the cage unlocking. His mind didn’t even need time to catch up to where he had spent the night, because the sound of that door had haunted even his dreams. He wished all of this had been just a dream. But it wasn’t. And as he sat up, allowing the blanket to pool at his waist, stood Viktor.

Very naked.

A very naked Viktor stood inside the cage and was making his way toward him.

Yuuri quickly pulled the blanket to his chin and attempted to scoot back as far in his nest as he could, his heart rate rapidly increasing as the alpha held out a hand to the omega with a smile. Yuuri looked at the hand with wide eyes, and couldn’t help when his eyes drifted just slightly south to where Viktor was sporting a healthy morning wood. Even half-hard and by alpha standards, who were usually the most endowed of the secondary genders, Viktor would easily bring envy among many. It was certainly the largest Yuuri had ever seen, and Yuuri enjoyed watching size kink porn and fantasizing about large alpha cocks during his heats. The thought that anyone would try and take that into them terrified him. Yuuri couldn’t stop the panic rushing full force from his scent glands as he thought that he was about to lose his virginity on the floor of a marble cage was borderline going to send him into a panic attack.

But Viktor released a calming scent, and Yuuri couldn’t even get himself to despise the alpha for doing so when Yuuri was clearly distressed. When his eyes traveled up ~~the body of a God~~ to meet Viktor’s gaze, the alpha was smiling at him, amusement dancing in clear blue eyes. “We’re not going to do that now.” Viktor raised an eyebrow down at Yuuri. “Unless, you want our first time to be in this cage.”

Yuuri’s eyes went impossibly wider as he shook his head frantically. “No! Please, I’m not ready!”

Viktor let out a chuckle and just shook his hand a little to let Yuuri know he was still expecting the omega to take it. “Then come from the nest so I may take the collar and cuffs from you. I will show you how to run the shower and bath. We have guests today, and I will need you to be well behaved.”

Yuuri felt hope surge through him along with his fear. Guests. He didn’t know what these guests were going to be like, but if there was any possibility that he could get one of them to help him… Then he would have to take it. With his heat only three weeks away, he would need to take any opportunity that presented itself to him. Reaching out, he took Viktor’s hand and allowed the alpha to guide him to his feet and from the safety of the nest. Viktor turned Yuuri so his back was to the alpha, and he felt the leash release first, then the collar slip from around his neck. Turning back around, Viktor removed both each cuff, before lifting Yuuri’s right wrist to his nose and taking a deep sniff.

Viktor let out a content sigh. “Your smell is absolutely lovely, my Yuuri. Cherry blossom and cinnamon go so well together.”

Yuuri tried to pull his wrist back, but Viktor held strong as he guided Yuuri from the cage toward the bathroom. Smelling one’s wrist wasn’t exactly _polite,_ but not unheard of when an alpha was courting an omega. Scenting was also sometimes done, though most often that was only done between mates, or when an omega was pregnant. Omegas also tended to scent objects and potential mates when they were in pre-heat. For Viktor to smell Yuuri’s wrist when he was not being courted…Well, Yuuri didn’t find it charming.

Viktor showed Yuuri how to get the shower running, and Yuuri actively prevented himself from looking down at Viktor’s naked body any more than he already had. Squeezing his eyes shut, he tried not to think about how he could feel the alpha’s gaze practically eating him alive while he undressed and stepped under the spray of the shower. He just wanted to get his shower done and over with as soon as possible. Luckily, although Viktor joined him in the spacious shower, the alpha did no more than wash Yuuri’s hair for him, and allowed Yuuri to wash his own body while Viktor tended to his own hair. For only a moment Yuuri debated making a run for it while Viktor’s eyes were closed under the running water, but decided he would not make it more than the door into the bedroom before he was caught. That was, if he didn’t slip on the tiled floor first.

Yuuri knew he had made the correct decision when Viktor finished washing his hair and made eye contact with Yuuri, a knowing smirk across his face. Viktor had been testing him, and Yuuri didn’t even know it. He would need to be more vigilant in the future. After the shower, Viktor dried Yuuri and wrapped him in a large, fluffy white towel, wrapping only a towel around his own hips. Yuuri followed behind Viktor toward the closet, glancing longingly toward the bedroom door but not daring to make a run for it. Viktor dressed himself in a sharp gray suit that Yuuri would never guess the price of, and a soft blue button up. He picked out for Yuuri a soft tan knitted sweater and black leggings. Yuuri was given no shoes, but was instead provided with a pair of indoor slippers. To finish his outfit, Viktor selected a topaz collar and cuffs, securing the pieces in place before pocketing the key.

“Now, come along. I will show you my office while we wait for our guests.” Viktor linked Yuuri’s arm into his elbow and began leading him from the bedroom. At least he wouldn’t have to spend another full day locked in a cage with no entertainment. “I don’t believe you had the opportunity to meet my friend Chris at the auction.” Yuuri’s heart sunk. One of Viktor’s friends meant there was no help for Yuuri. “But he and I have business to attend to today, so he brought his beta along to keep you company.” _Wait, did that mean Viktor was going to leave them alone?_ “I will have Cao Bin guarding you today while I am away, so you do not need to worry.” Viktor glanced at Yuuri pointedly. “He will be with you the entire day.”

~Phichit~

Phichit was wearing an exotic new outfit that Christophe had brought home for him from the auction in New York. Since Phichit didn’t have nice things growing up, he adored it when Christophe purchased him things he had never seen before – especially clothing. Phichit loved bright colors and exploring fashion. In a lineup of drug lords, one would easily recognize Phichit. Not that Phichit had ever been caught, because he hadn’t. He was far too good at what he did, and he knew as much.

“Did you get everything you needed to for your meeting with Viktor today?” Phichit asked, already online shopping for more outfits he could mix and match with his current one.  
Chris nodded with a hum. “That I did. And I have a feeling things are going to get quite interesting in the Nikiforov manor soon. If they haven’t already.”

Phichit lifted his head to look at the love of his life. “What makes you say that? Is somebody going to die?”

Chris chuckled. “Oh, I have no doubt that somebody is going to die.” He looked at Phichit with a smirk. “Officer Lambiel is going to attempt and infiltrate in a few days.”

Phichit gasped, lifting one hand to cover his excited mouth. “No way! Are we going to attend his execution? Or is Viktor making a public spectacle of the guy?”

Chris shrugged, pulling out his own phone and texting Viktor that the pair were almost there. “Don’t know. We’ll have to see what he decides after he has all the information.” Phichit saw Chris look at him from the side of his eye. “But I doubt he’ll be around long. Viktor hasn’t marked that omega yet.”

Phichit’s eyes lit up like he was told Christmas was coming early. He couldn’t wait to meet the omega that Viktor Nikiforov had spent so much money purchasing. Honestly, Phichit was surprised the alpha hadn’t marked him yet – it had been several days, and he knew alphas were territorial over omegas, especially rare male omegas. It’s a wonder the other male made it this long without getting trapped into a bond.

The ride in the back of the Nikiforov car was peaceful, Phichit occasionally showing Chris an outfit he was thinking of purchasing, racking up the amount in his shopping cart to check out later. When they did arrive, Chris nodded at the doorman and made his way directly toward Viktor’s office. The man spent an awful amount of time in that office. After knocking, Chris opened the door and the pair entered the spacious room. In the center of the room sat Viktor at his large desk, a smile crossing his face when he saw the duo. Beside Viktor, kneeling on the floor was a Japanese male omega dressed in appropriately cozy clothes for the early autumn. Phichit was practically vibrating next to Christophe in excitement.

“Chris! Phichit! Welcome!” Viktor greeted, standing and moving around his desk to hug the fellow alpha.

Phichit couldn’t contain himself. “Viktor, is that your mate?” Phichit noticed the omega practically _flinch_ at the word _“mate.”_

Viktor smiled and gestured for the omega to join them. Slowly, the omega rose from the floor and joined Viktor at his side. Viktor rested his hand upon the omega’s waist with ease. “Yes, Yuuri will be my mate. We had actually just finished going over the rules of the house, and discussing Yuuri’s upcoming heat in a few weeks.” Viktor’s eyes flashed with the same sexual hunger that Chris’ normally shown with when he came home to see Phichit ready for him. “My Yuuri has been saving himself for his mate, and since it’ll be his first time we decided to wait to bond until then.   
I don’t want to hurt him if I don’t have to, and being in heat will make my Yuuri loose enough for his first time, especially with the quick healing omegas have after a heat.”

Phichit noticed the body language of the omega – Yuuri – that told him that rather than a discussion, Viktor had decided everything himself. Which was typical of the leader of the Russian Bravata – Viktor was the law here, and he made all the decisions. Phichit hoped Yuuri learned to adapt quickly, because Phichit could already tell the two of them were going to be great friends. He and Chris came to the manor or went out with Viktor often enough where he suspected he would be spending a great deal of time with the omega during the visits. Phichit reached out and shook Yuuri’s hand, catching the omega by surprise.

“Hi Yuuri, I’m Phichit! Why don’t we leave these stuffy suits to talk business while we go have some tea? You like tea, right?”

Yuuri blinked at him for a moment, but quickly collected himself, offering a confused smile to the beta. “Um, I love tea.”

“Perfect!” Phichit linked his fingers with Yuuri’s and began making his way for the door, not bothering to turn as he called back at the pair of alphas. “We’ll be in that sitting room I like!” Outside the office stood a guard that Phichit hadn’t bothered to learn the name of, but assumed he was assigned to Yuuri and himself for the day when he began following them. “Could you call the kitchen and ask them to bring tea and treats up for us?” Phichit asked, flashing a smile at the guard.

Knowing the guard would do so, Phichit lead his way to the sitting room he enjoyed – the entire room was made of gold, and was ridiculously flashy. Phichit loved flashy. Guiding Yuuri to sit on the love seat in the room before the coffee table, Phichit took the seat directly next to the omega and turned with a smile.

“So! Your name is Yuuri, I know that much, but what else? Where are you from? Tell me about yourself!”

For all the world, the omega had an adorable look of utter confusion upon his face. “Uh, I’m from Japan. I have a mom, dad, an older sister, and a dog.”

Phichit’s eyes lit up. “A dog! How cute! I’ve always loved hamsters, personally, and two years ago for my birthday Christophe took me to get one, but they were all so cute that I ended up getting three.” Phichit took out his phone and pulled up a pitcher of him holding all three hamsters sandwiched together as he showed them off to the camera, a wide smile upon his face.  
Yuuri gave a genuine smile as he looked at the photo. “They’re so cute! But I’d be afraid I would lose them.”

Phichit laughed as he tucked his phone back into his pocket. “Oh, man! They get out all the time! Their names are Jackpot, Mud, and Mojo.” Phichit smiled as the omega seemed to relax. “What about your dog? Tell me about him.”

Yuuri relaxed slightly more. Phichit was easy to talk to, and could get anyone to loosen up around him. It was a gift that he fully acknowledged within himself. “Well, he’s a brown toy poodle. He’s old now, but he’s always so full of energy it’s easy to forget he’s not a puppy.”

Phichit smiled. “What’s his name?” Yuuri flushed a dark pink and Phichit raised an eyebrow with a smirk. If there was something he loved more than flashy clothes, it was some good dirt. “Oh? Why so embarrassed?”

Yuuri went to scratch the back of his neck, but paused as the collar stopped him from doing so. It was a beautiful collar, and although he was a beta, Phichit contemplated asking Christophe for one Phichit could wear in the bedroom. “Oh, well, you see… His name… is Vicchan.”

Well, that was anti-climactic. “So why are you so embarrassed?”

The blush seemed to deepen, and Phichit knew there was important information he was missing. He had to lean closer to hear what Yuuri was saying when he finally spoke, it was whispered so quietly. “Vicchan means Victor.”

Phichit threw his head back as he allowed himself to fall back against the couch, holding his stomach as he worked to control himself. “Oh, man! Your dog’s name is Viktor? How ironic!” He smiled and laughed more as he heard Yuuri laugh beside him, finally appearing completely comfortable with the beta. Betas tended to have calming capabilities to both the stronger and weaker secondary genders. It was a gift of being ordinary. “I will _not_ be telling Viktor that! He’d be so offended that he shares a name with a dog!”

The pair laughed as tea and treats were brought in for them, the presence of the guard completely forgotten as he stood silently in the corner. Until Yuuri offered him a scone from the tray, and the guard accepted. Phichit had nearly forgotten that omegas were the most nurturing of the secondary genders, and of course Yuuri wouldn’t forget to check if the guard was doing well. But as the day went on, Phichit and Yuuri exchanged all sorts of stories, even using the television in the sitting room to look up funny videos and watch Phichit’s favorite movie – _The King and the Skater._ When Christophe and Viktor finally came to get them for dinner, Phichit promised that next time they would watch the sequel.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all liked this chapter! Let me know what you think! :)


	11. The Officer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stéphane Lambiel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one is short, but I wanted to get it out there! I intended it to be longer, but I figured it made more sense to make the next chapter longer since it'll be back to Yuuri's POV in chapter twelve

Stéphane couldn’t believe he had done it – actually done it! After weeks of undercover work getting close to one of Viktor’s men that frequents the bar seven too many days of the week, he had managed to get himself inside with surprising ease. All he needed to do was buddy up to the man and casually slip that he wasn’t making enough dough and he would do anything for some extra cash. The other man had said he could get him something, if Stéphane was interested. The rest was history. Still, Stéphane worried that his luck had been too much, and this was all an elaborate trap set by Nikiforov. However, his assigned task from the man himself set his mind at ease – there was no way Nikiforov would give him such a position if he knew what Stéphane was there to do.

“Ah, you must be the new man Adrik mentioned,” Nikiforov greeted when he entered the spacious office, standing and rounding the desk with a smile. “Come in, come in. We’re glad to have you on board, because being honest I needed some extra hands around the manor lately.”

Stéphane nodded his head in greeting. “Thank you for letting me join your ranks. Times are tough in Russia.”

Nikiforov nodded as if he understood the suffering the people were going through, as he sat in the lap of luxury in his mansion. “Desperate times call for desperate measures. But now that you are here, the Bravata offers you protection in exchange for your services.”

“And what services will I be providing?” Stéphane asked, keeping his face carefully neutral. He just hoped he didn’t have to torture of kill anyone – he wasn’t sure he’d be able to do it.

Nikiforov flashed Stéphane a wide smile, leaning back against his desk as he put his hands into his pockets. “I need someone to guard my mate.”

_Mate? This man had a mate?!_ None of Stéphane’s intel had even eluded to the possibility of Nikiforov having a mate! _Shit!_

Stéphane kept his face carefully blank as he nodded. “I didn’t know you were bonded.”

Nikiforov shrugged casually, as if it were a trivial matter. “We have yet to bond, and are waiting to do so at his next heat in a few weeks. Which is why I need someone to guard him – keep him safe within the manor until then.” Nikiforov’s smile turned so wicked Stéphane felt a chill sink to his bones. “I wouldn’t want him running off.”

_Oh, gods. This madman was holding someone captive!_ Stéphane was positive. What was he going to do? If Nikiforov was holding someone against their will to bond with them, he couldn’t just leave them here! But he couldn’t blow his cover, not when he had worked so hard and waited so long for this opportunity. He was in the perfect position to take both Nikiforov and Giacometti down at the same time. This chance wouldn’t come again.

But…could he resign an omega to a life bonded with this monster? Even when his plans worked out, and Nikiforov was behind bars, the omega would still be bonded – tied down physically and emotionally to the man whether the bond was consensual or not… He would have to find a way to get the omega out, without being found out by Nikiforov…

Nikiforov lead the way to…Stéphane wasn’t sure, but he would soon find out. He assumed it was to the omega that Nikiforov intended to bond, likely relaxing somewhere surrounded by guards who needed to attend to other tasks. That’s where he assumed he came in – relieve the other guards and take over the task. To his surprise, Nikiforov lead him to his chambers – its own wing of the house on the second floor to the left. Nikiforov removed a key from his pocket.

“Now, my Yuuri is still very shy. It takes even me quite a while to coax him from his nest in the morning,” Nikiforov was saying as he unlocked the door. _Good, at least the omega had a nest to stay safe inside._ “So he might not talk to you for quite a while. But I would like you to guard him and keep him safe, keep him company and bring him for walks to the dining room for meals. If I am available, I will join him there.”

The doors opened wide and Stéphane couldn’t keep his eyes from widening as he zeroes in on the large marble cage in the left corner of the bedroom. A mass in the center sat up, eyes framed in blue rim glasses peeking out through a large blanket to see the two alphas. It took several moments for Stéphane to process what he was seeing as Nikiforov strode toward the cage, the omega’s eyes following the alpha all the way.

_Nikiforov was keeping an omega in a cage. Shit, shit, shit!_ This was going to be a harder task than he imagined.

But…what if this was a test? What if Nikiforov knew who Stéphane was, and the omega was there willingly? This could all be a trap where Stéphane was lured in by his alpha instincts to help the omega escape, only for the omega to tell Nikiforov. Then he would be a dead man.

No. He would keep that in mind, because with how smart he knew Nikiforov was, he wouldn’t put the man above using an omega to trap Stéphane into slipping up. But if this omega truly needed his help, he would not abandon him. He would just have to evaluate the situation, and go from there. Stepping forward, he finally entered the room just as Nikiforov crouched down to be eye level with the omega – Nikiforov had called him Yuuri.

“I have some exciting news for you today, little one,” Nikiforov spoke gently, as if trying to coax the omega from the blanket. “This is Stepan; he will be your assigned guard starting today. He will keep you company when myself and Phichit are not around, so feel free to talk with him.” Nikiforov stood from his crouched position and began unlocking the door. “Now, I need you to step outside your nest so that I may show Stepan how to unhook the leash for when he takes you for meals.”

_Leash!_ Stéphane was appalled. What kind of monster leashed another person? His eyes traveled to the Pakhan. Apparently, some people still did.

The omega did not move from its nest, instead looked past Viktor when he stepped into the cage, straight to meet Stéphane’s eyes. Clearly scared, the poor thing looked back to Viktor, who waited outside the nest. _Well, it appeared the alpha wouldn’t cross some boundaries. That was good to know._

“He can’t come in my nest,” the omega finally spoke, though remained covered by the blanket. He tried to sound firm, and stand his ground, but the strain gave away that he was unsure if he could make such a demand. Stéphane had to admit, the omega was brave speaking up to the Pakhan like that.

Nikiforov placed his hand on his heart and to Stéphane’s surprise looked genuinely appalled by the idea. Did Nikiforov care for this Yuuri? Stéphane filed the information away for later. “No! Of course not little one! I would sooner kill a man than let another alpha enter your nest.” Nikiforov’s eyes traveled to the side to meet Stéphane’s. “He will not enter the cage.”  
Stéphane nodded in a way he hoped was reassuring for the omega. “I will not enter the cage.”

Nikiforov nodded, seemingly satisfied as he turned back to hold a hand out to the omega. “You’ll just have to get close enough to the door when Stepan opens it for him to unclasp the leash.” Nikiforov’s voice seemed to lower slightly, though he kept the tone light. “You will behave when he does so, and when he brings you to the dining room. Otherwise you will be taking your meals in here again.” Nikiforov held his hand out to the omega, offering to help him from the nest. “I don’t want to have to keep you confined all the time, Yuuri. I want you to come to feel comfortable walking around the manor.” The omega allowed Nikiforov to guide him from the nest and toward the edge of the cage where Stéphane stood. Nikiforov stroked the omega’s cheek in a loving gesture. “You’ll feel much better after we have bonded.”

The faint scent of distress at the mentioning of the bonding and the way the omega pulled away from Nikiforov’s hand was all the proof Stéphane felt he needed. This Yuuri, whoever he was, was not here willingly. And he would help him escape this manor if it was the last thing he did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is going to be Yuuri! I hope everyone is excited!


	12. The Runner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you don't want to read some of the darker tags then skip the rest of the chapter after the first BOLDED word

Yuuri didn’t know if he could trust this Stepan. After all, Viktor had been the one to appoint him as Yuuri’s guard, so he must trust the other alpha. But something about his eyes was different from the others Yuuri had seen in the manor. Viktor’s eyes always shown with mischief, while the other men he had passed looked at Yuuri with only the barest amount of interest. As if they only cared about Yuuri’s safety because Viktor told them too. He didn’t doubt that was the case. But this man, his eyes seemed to carry a hidden weight – almost genuine worry for Yuuri. Yuuri didn’t want to let himself hope for help, but he wasn’t going to give up the opportunity. He needed to see if this man was willing to help him.

The alpha had tried to talk to Yuuri when he had escorted him down for lunch, but Yuuri had been too nervous to speak. He had been trying to gage whether the other could be trusted. But a voice in the back of Yuuri’s mind reminded him that while he had been held hostage in the manor for several days, nobody had even attempted to hurt him. Yuuri thought living in a place surrounded by members of a mafia would be more…scary? He thought there would be men with horrid scars on their faces and blood on their clothes – the sound of gunshots ringing through the air during all hours of day and night. But Yuuri had seen none of that. What he had seen, were men dressed in expensive suits and women bustling about as they cleaned here and there. If Yuuri hadn’t seen Viktor tucking a gun into the back of his pants each morning, he would have doubted the manor even had any. Yuuri’s eyes traveled to the gun holster at Stepan’s hip – the first openly visible gun Yuuri had seen on a member of the manor.

“No need to worry,” Stepan spoke, offering Yuuri a gentle smile from the other side of the cage where Yuuri sat in his nest, “I won’t use it unless it is absolutely necessary.”  
Yuuri nodded, adjusting the blanket so it hugged his shoulders. “I don’t like guns.”

The man appeared shocked, as if he hadn’t expected Yuuri to speak to him at all. “That’s not something I expected.”

Yuuri knit his brows together. “What do you mean?”

Stepan took a moment to carefully choose his words. “I didn’t expect someone who chose Nikiforov as their future mate would dislike guns, considering the nature of his work.”

Yuuri could practically taste the displeasure in his mouth as he spat out, “Don’t play dumb – you’re one of his men. You know very well I’m not here by choice.”

The alpha’s eyes were calculating as he spoke slowly, “It is my first day here. What do you mean by it’s not your choice?”

Yuuri blinked, not having expected someone so knew to the Bravata to be appointed as Yuuri’s guard. Heart thumping in his chest so loud he was sure the other alpha would hear it, Yuuri dared to hope he could convince this alpha to help him. “I was drugged and abducted from Canada, then sold at an auction somewhere. Viktor bought me, and brought me here.” Yuuri let the blanket fall to his waste as he gestured to the cage. “And here I have sat.”

The alpha swallowed as he looked at Yuuri. “That’s awful.”

Yuuri clenched his fists into the blanket on his lap. “I will not let him bond me – I will not be tied to him for the rest of my life.” The look of complete disgust upon the man’s face had Yuuri opening up; taking a chance. “I have less than two weeks before I am too nest bound to leave before my heat.” Yuuri looked Stepan in the eyes and hoped with all his might that he wasn’t wrong.  
“Will you help me?”

Stepan seemed to contemplate the request for a moment, before nodding. “I’ll come up with a plan, but I’ll only be able to get you as far as outside the front doors. From there, you’ll have to run. Do you think you can do it?”

Yuuri nodded enthusiastically, sitting up straighter. “I have a lot of stamina – I can do it.”

.

..

…

….

…

..

.

Viktor sat in his office, reclined on the couch he had near the bookshelves with earbuds in each ear. His eyes were closed, and his foot tapped in the air over the side of the couch as if he were listening to his favorite song. In fact, this might be his new favorite hobby – listening in on the conversations his omega had through the listening device in the collar. Viktor knew that by placing Lambiel as his Yuuri’s guard, that the officer would expose himself. His Yuuri was just too cute! It would make any alpha desperate to help the little thing. The only thing Viktor had miscalculated with his plan, was how quick Lambiel would be to blow his cover to the omega.

Officer Lambiel’s cover wasn’t even convincing! Like the other alpha wasn’t even trying! Stepan, as if the name weren’t close enough to Stéphane. Of course, Viktor knew the man expected him to not know what he looked like, but if Chris were to come by the manor? What would the officer’s plan be then? But, as interesting as that would be, Viktor was enjoying this game far more. It was like a game of chess to Viktor – Officer Lambiel had made the first move, appointing himself as a pawn. But Viktor was much more powerful – Viktor wasn’t even a piece on the board. No, Viktor was the chess master, manipulating and sacrificing pieces as he pleased. Never too bothered by the other player’s pieces because Viktor knew he would win from the moment he sat down to play.

“Oh, my Yuuri,” Viktor hummed, pleased. “I can’t wait for you to come running into my arms.” 

~Yuuri~

Yuuri and Stepan – who Yuuri learned was actually an undercover officer named Stéphane – spent the next ten days planning and perfecting their plan. Which meant Yuuri only had five days the strongest of before his nesting urges kicked in, seven days before he was nest bound, and eight days before the start of his heat. They had to move tonight. So, when Stepan brought Yuuri back from dinner with Viktor in the dining room – who was just as he always was, telling Yuuri that he would be late that night because of work – Stepan didn’t hook the leash onto Yuuri. Instead, as soon as the door to the cage was closed, Yuuri began their act. He requested a bottled water – and it had to be a bottled water, otherwise the water might spill into his nest if it were a glass – so Stepan would be forced to go down to the kitchens to fetch one for him.

Once Stepan was gone from the room, Yuuri would enter the toilet room to the bathroom, and back out into the bedroom. He glanced at the nest in the cage for only a moment, his omega begging to return to the safe nest as his nerves were all on end. But he didn’t. Yuuri turned and left the unlocked room – just as Stepan said he would – and made his way to hide by the landing. Looking around the edge, Yuuri could see Stepan luring the two guards away from the door, saying that the Pakhan wanted them to switch out with the men at the back of the house. Once they were gone, grumbling about switching posts so late in the shift, Stepan glanced up and gave Yuuri a nod.

It was time to go.

Stepan made his way back toward the kitchens, acting as if he were still fetching the bottled water for Yuuri, while Yuuri made his way down the stairs two at a time. This had been too easy. This had been too easy. This had been too easy.

But Yuuri wouldn’t allow himself to dwell on such things. He needed to take the chance that Officer Stéphane had given him, and run as soon as he was out the doors. And that’s what he did. Slipper covered feet hit cold autumn earth as he took off running as fast as he could toward the tree line. The plan was that Yuuri would take off to the right of the driveway, and go several yards into the trees so that he could not be seen from the long drive. Running from the land would likely take him all day, if he didn’t stop for a rest during the night. If he did stop, it would take him nearly two days to reach the end of Viktor’s land. Luckily, other than the guards at the end of the property, there weren’t any scattered amongst the trees – as far as Officer Lambiel knew. And Yuuri would just have to trust that.

Branches and leaves crunched under Yuuri’s feet as he ran, blood pumping in his ears and adrenaline through his veins as he glanced behind him every few moments. Terrified and so sure that he would see men pursuing him any moment. But none did. Yuuri ran for he didn’t know how long, but clearly a few hours, before he allowed himself to stop. There was a small lake on the property that he had come across, and Yuuri wasn’t sure if he was going to come across another. If he didn’t, he was going to want to drink some water now. Glancing around him, Yuuri walked carefully to the edge of the lake and knelt, scooping water into his hands and bringing it to his mouth to drink.

_Crunch_

Yuuri’s head snapped to the side as he sprung to his feet, whiling to face the sound. His heart was beating faster than he had ever felt it before, and he felt more terror in him in that moment than he had even on stage of the auction. At least there he had been confused – out here, he was hyper-aware. Standing frozen, Yuuri waited several moments before a bunny hopped from the bushes. Heaving out a sigh of relief, Yuuri crouched and held his hand out toward the bunny. As an omega, animals naturally flocked toward him, especially when he was releasing high levels of pheromones. Sweating from running non-stop for hours would be one of those things that would attract non-threatening animals such as the bunny. The small brown bunny hopped over to Yuuri almost happily, allowing Yuuri to stroke its small head between the ears.

“You gave me quite a scare,” Yuuri told the bunny. Another crunch from the same direction had Yuuri looking back toward the bush. “Do you have a friend?”

_**BANG** ___

__The surprise of the bunny Yuuri had been petting spraying him with blood had him falling onto his rear. Where the bunny had been, was now a bloody corpse. The death had been quick, but it didn’t stop Yuuri from shaking in fear as his pheromones flooded from his covered glands, eyes slowly traveling from the dead bunny to a pair of black boots stepping from the bush.  
__

__“Oh, he brought several friends with him,” an alpha Yuuri did not recognize laughed, waving the end of the gun he held in Yuuri’s direction. There were two more alphas behind him, both with equally sinister grins upon their faces. “Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. But I warn you – you won’t like the hard way, but we will.”_ _

__Yuuri didn’t even bother to think of what the alpha was saying, scrambling to his feet and taking off around the small lake as fast as he could. He stayed in the straight line toward his goal as best he could, but even Yuuri’s heart knew he wasn’t going to make it. He had only made it a few hours into the trees before these alphas had found him – clearly three of Viktor’s men as they all wore expensive looking suits, except they had taken off their jackets, and rolled up their sleeves. But that didn’t mean Yuuri wasn’t going to try. This was his only chance, and if he could just lose the alphas, or last longer than them in his run, he could do it. Yuuri knew he was fast, and his stamina could carry him for another few hours before he needed to rest. Plus, whatever additional boost the adrenaline would give him, terrified of being caught by one of those alphas._ _

__**_BANG_** _ _

__Another shot rang out, striking the earth near Yuuri’s feet as he ran, causing the omega to cry out and jump. Okay, the straight line wasn’t going to work. He was basically an easy target that way. Waving in and out of the trees, Yuuri attempted to stay running in the direction the exit was supposed to be, but it only took a few close calls with the bullets for Yuuri to get all turned around.  
He broke out into a small clearing, and his heart thumped painfully in his chest, breath catching as he worked not to choke._ _

___No, the clearing was too open._ He’d have to get back into the trees._ _

__But as he sensed one of the alphas behind him, he knew he didn’t have a choice. He’d have to chance the clearing. Taking off once more, Yuuri pushed with all his might to clear the open space as quickly as possible. But only a few yards in, Yuuri had the breath knocked out of him as he was slammed into the ground, the alpha landing on top of him with his full weight._ _

___“Oof,”_ Yuuri grunted, stunned on the ground as his head spun and lungs worked desperately to try and take in oxygen._ _

__Yuuri felt the disgustingly hot breath hit his ear as the alpha whispered, “I was hoping you’d choose the hard way.”_ _

__“Get off!” Yuuri yelled, attempting to struggle away from the alpha who easily caught his hands and pinned them to the middle of his back with a laugh. Yuuri heard the laughs of the other two alphas approaching, having caught up. “Let me go!”_ _

__The alpha above him laughed at Yuuri’s struggles, seemingly relaxed, as if Yuuri were no more than a child in strength. “Yah, right. Like we’d let you go after you made us chase you like that?”  
Another alpha rounded the pair and grasped Yuuri’s chin, forcing him to look the alpha in the eyes. “Viktor won’t mind if we bring you back a little roughed up.”_ _

__Hands groped Yuuri’s rear through the thin material of the leggings, and Yuuri froze for only a moment. When the hands teased the band of the pants, Yuuri began trying to trash once more, attempting to throw the alpha off as he screamed into the clearing. Two of the alphas stood before him now, taking their time as they undid their pants and pulled their members into their hands and began to stroke themselves into fullness._ _

__Yuuri’s eyes went wide as he struggled harder, even as he felt his leggings being pulled down below his rear, the hand delivering a harsh _slap_ to Yuuri’s bare skin. The alphas before him were now fully hard, and Yuuri felt tears stream down his face. Fear over what was sure to happen to him crashing into him full-force._ _

__Yuuri’s throat was tight as his voice broke, calling out to anyone that would answer, _“Please! Help me!”__ _

__**_BANG_ ** _ _

__The alpha holding Yuuri into the ground who had been groping his bare flesh fell to the side, unmoving as he hit down. The two alphas before Yuuri didn’t move as they too stared wide-eyed at the dead alpha beside them._ _

__“My Yuuri, I’ve come to get you,” came Viktor’s smooth voice from behind. Yuuri quickly turned to see said alpha standing at the edge of the clearing, gun held straight out and unmoving with one hand while the other reached out in invitation. “Quickly.”_ _

__Yuuri didn’t even need to think twice, working as quickly as he could to pull his pants all the way back on as he ran toward the least threatening alpha in the area. The alpha who had not only not harmed Yuuri during all those days he spent in the manor, but had taken care of him, and had come to save him from the alphas in the clearing. Viktor shot down his own man for Yuuri’s sake.  
Safe in Viktor’s arms, Yuuri clutched desperately to the dress shirt as Viktor wrapped him in his arm, hand gently urging Yuuri toward his scent gland where calming pheromones were being released. “Shh, there, there little one. I’ve got you. Now, don’t look no matter what.”_ _

__**_BANG_** _ _

__**_BANG_ ** _ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eee! Poor Yuuri! T.T  
> The next chapter will have some overlap with this chapter but from Viktor's POV
> 
> Let me know what you guys think! :) I love hearing from all of you what you think of the characters and the story and your emotions going from chapter to chapter! :)


	13. The Pakhan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whaaaat - double chapter!
> 
> Once again, the darker tags start at the BOLDED word. If you would like to skip it but continue reading the chapter, continue after the DOUBLE BOLDED words

Viktor knew when Yuuri and Officer Lambiel were going to push their plan through, based on the nervous energy Yuuri was giving off during dinner. So, when Viktor returned to his office, he opened the security footage of the manor onto his desktop, and reclined in his seat to watch his game play out. Officer Lambiel exited the bedroom and “forgot” to lock the door, just as he clearly “forgot” to leash Yuuri. Right on time, his omega poked his head from the bedroom door and glanced down the hall, carefully making his way toward the stairs so as not to be caught.

This plan would never have worked had Viktor not known about it, and reduced the men working around the manor down to the bare minimum to keep the property secure. Of course, Viktor had also told the men guarding any of the doors that should Yuuri’s guard _Stepan_ show up and request they change shifts, that they were to do so without question. Without this order, Viktor knew his men would never have abandoned their posts for anyone less than Yura or Yakov. Viktor was almost bored by how well his game was going. Once his Yuuri was out the front door, Viktor switched from the security footage to a 3D map of his land. On the screen was a bright blue dot, indicating where his Yuuri was through the GPS tracker in his collar.

Viktor hummed, pleasantly surprised by the speed which his Yuuri could run. He would have to speed up his own plan if Yuuri kept that pace. Giving his Yuuri a solid forty-five-minute head-start, during which the omega did not falter in his speed nor course, Viktor finally pressed the pager button on his desk. Within a minute, his assistant Yakov was entering the office, looking as gruff and bothered as usual.

“Pakhan?” the man who was practically a second-father to Viktor spoke.

Viktor glanced back at the screen with interest. “Get me Abram, Borya, and Demyan. I need them to go retrieve my Yuuri. Tell them to bring him back whole and alive.”

Yakov nodded and left the office silently. Watching the screen for an hour longer, Viktor saw his Yuuri begin to slow. Up ahead he would encounter a small lake on the property. When Viktor was young, he used to sneak away from the manor when his father was dealing with business Yakov insisted he was too young to witness, and would go to the lake. In the winter, it froze over solid, and Yakov would take him to practice ice skating. Maybe in another life, that would have been Viktor’s fate. Either way, the alpha was confident that his path would cross with his Yuuri’s.

Standing from his seat, Viktor paged for Yakov to bring the car around. By the time Viktor had exited the manor, Yakov was waiting out front, back door open for Viktor to enter. If Viktor wasn’t so sure, he would have sworn the man could clone himself. He was far too large and far too old to still be that fast, but that’s what made him the best. Taking his seat in the back, Viktor pulled the GPS tracker up on his phone, carefully watching as his Yuuri stopped at the lake. While it had taken Yuuri several hours to get to that lake, Viktor was sure his men would arrive soon, and Viktor only minutes after that by car. Notifying Yakov when to stop, Viktor shrugged from his suit jacket and rolled his sleeves. It was getting dark now, the evening sun painting the sky orange.

Viktor walked through the forest, casually watching as his Yuuri’s marker swerved on the screen. Eventually, Viktor caught Yuuri’s distressed scent in the air, and instinctually began following that path while watching the marker stop at the edge of the field. He expected his Yuuri to make the decision to duck back into the cover of the trees, but instead he saw the marker begin moving across the clearing. _Interesting choice._

But as Viktor came to the edge of the field where Yuuri’s marker had stopped, he saw why his precious omega was unable to return to the trees. Viktor’s blood began to boil in a way he hadn’t felt in years over the scene before him. One of his men had his Yuuri, _his Yuuri,_ pinned to the ground on his stomach, hands held in one of the alpha’s behind his back while that same alpha groped him over his pants. His Yuuri began to trash beneath the alpha, attempting to throw him off as the other two began undoing their pants. The two alphas began stroking their cocks before his Yuuri’s face, who was making an expression he could not see but could imagine was one of disgust. Of course his Yuuri would find any alpha but him disgusting.

The alpha behind his Yuuri slid his pants below his bottom and slapped the exposed rear. Viktor felt a growl rip itself from his throat at the sight, and reach behind him to grasp his handgun. But what really set Viktor off, was when he heard the sweet voice of his omega cry out harshly through tears.

_“Please! Help me!”_

**_BANG_**

Viktor didn’t need to hear the words twice before he was stepping from the cover of the trees and into the clearing, gun held straight out as he shot the alpha from his Yuuri. The other two, Abram and Borya, stood frozen as their eyes landed on Viktor. The feelings in his veins were like ice as he glared upon the other alphas standing over his future mate. Never had he expected to feel such a way for anyone, only furthering his own belief that his Yuuri was made for him. But now, he needed to play it cool in front of said omega. Show him that he’s a good alpha.

“My Yuuri, I’ve come to get you,” Viktor spoke smoothly. His Yuuri quickly turned to him as he reached out with one hand in invitation. Beckoning the omega to him. “Quickly.”

And just as he had planned, had _longed to see,_ his Yuuri rushed to his feet, adjusting his pants as he did so, and ran directly into Viktor’s waiting arm. Tears had stained the omega’s face, and Viktor desired to bend down and lick the salty liquid from his face, but instead played his part. Guiding his Yuuri’s face into his scent gland, Viktor released calming and protective pheromones. So close to his heat, his Yuuri’s omega would be beginning to creep into Yuuri’s behaviors and desires. He bet he could make his Yuuri putty in his hands if he wanted after this, but that wouldn’t be much fun. No, he wanted his Yuuri to come to want and desire the alpha, all on his own. He wanted to watch the internal struggle upon his omega’s face as he slowly became attached to Viktor’s presence.

Viktor patted Yuuri’s head as he soothed, a wicked smile crossing his face as he looked at the two alphas who used to be a part of his staff. They had played their parts well – too well for Viktor’s liking. “Shh, there, there little one. I’ve got you. Now, don’t look no matter what.”

**_BANG_**

**_BANG_ **

Viktor easily shot the two alphas before they had even the smallest chance to beg for their lives. His Yuuri was shaking in his arms, clutching desperately to his chest as Viktor let out a pleased rumble, aiming to sooth the frightened omega. The gun was too hot to tuck back into his pants, so Viktor tossed the weapon on the ground, knowing the cleanup crew he would have Yakov send would collect it later. For now, the wind was picking up a chill, and he didn’t want his Yuuri getting sick before his heat. That would make his plan much more difficult.

“I’m going to pick you up now, little one. Let’s get you back to the car where it’s nice and warm.”

His Yuuri nodded obediently, and Viktor had to peer at his face to see that the poor thing was close to a drop. More omega than Yuuri during that moment, Viktor easily picked the other man up and began making his way toward where Yakov had the car. Yuuri’s instincts would have him clinging to Viktor likely for the rest of the night, and Viktor couldn’t say he was displeased. If he were being honest, he had known his Yuuri was strong, but not quite this strong. He expected a full omega drop from the little thing, but instead was suspended in the pre-drop stage. If his omega felt it were in a dangerous place, Yuuri would fight and run until he couldn’t. Viktor gave another pleased rumble in his chest that his omega snuggled into while Viktor approached the car. He had been right, again of course – Yuuri’s omega was crying out for Viktor’s alpha. He just had to make his Yuuri accept him.

“Pakhan?” Yakov asked after Viktor had situated his Yuuri on his lap in the back of the car. The old alpha was looking at him through the rearview mirror as he turned the car around and began making his way back toward the manor.

“Hmm?” Viktor hummed, trying to jostle the omega as little as possible, urging the little one’s nose back toward his scent gland. He wanted to make Yuuri’s omega associate his scent with safety. He wanted the omega to crave the scent that was Viktor Nikiforov.

“What would you like done with that man we caught?”

Viktor carded his fingers through his Yuuri’s sweaty hair gently, a small smile pulling at his lips. “Have him brought to my red room.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! Our obsessed Viktor luring our precious Yuuri so easily T.T
> 
> Let me know what you guys think of this chapter! And just as a warning THE NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE GRAPHIC - so if that isn't your thing, carry on and skip it :)


	14. The Infiltrator

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Officer Stéphane Lambiel

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THERE IS GRAPHIC DEPICTIONS OF VIOLENCE IN THIS CHAPTER - if you would like to skip it, I have added a warning mid-chapter about when it will start in BOLDED text. BOLDED text also signifies when the violence has ended.

Stéphane thought he was going to vomit. He could feel the bile working its way up his throat – burning as he worked to keep it down. He felt the scratch of his dinner expelling from his body, chunky liquid staining his feet and the stone beneath them. Stone. He could have sworn he was on the marble flooring of the Nikiforov manor.

Nikiforov.

With a sudden remembrance, Stéphane’s eyes shot open wide. He had just helped Yuuri escape from the Nikiforov manor, and was playing the rest of his part of the plan out by heading toward the kitchen. But when he rounded the corner, a gas had been sprayed in his face. He barely remembered falling to the floor.

But now, he sat hunched over with his hands tied to either side of a chair, his feet bound before him to the legs. Vomit covered his bare feet. Careful consideration of his person revealed he was well and truly naked. Fear worked its way through Stéphane’s body and he began to sweat, taking in the appearance of the room he was in.

The entire room was coated in varying shades of red and black, certain areas thicker and darker than others. A drain sat in the center of the room, with the darkest of the areas around its center. There were bullet holes here and there throughout the room, along with a large metal door with no handle from the inside. But what scared Stéphane the most, were the devices. Scattered around the room were tables with straps, straps from the ceiling, chairs that made Stéphane glad he was tied to a normal one, and open cabinets with varying tools. Everything from common everyday tools such as tweezers, wrenches, hammers…axes…to more… _customized_ devices that Stéphane did not want to begin to question what they were for.

Turning his head this way and that, Stéphane looked for a way to get himself free. Some ways away he spotted a table with hand-held tools along with a scalpel, and tried to move the chair and himself in that direction. Only to find the chair bolted to the ground. _Of course, Nikiforov wouldn’t leave him in such a place alone if there was a way for him to escape._ He could only hope the man had been so foolish.

_“Fuck!”_

Stéphane’s head whipped toward the door so fast his neck hurt – though that might have been the position he woke up in – as the curse carried to wherever he was. Whoever had sworn was clearly having a bad day, and Stéphane prayed the individual was not upset with him.

“We just get back and this place went to fucking Hell!” Clearly someone quieter had spoken, because the angry voice was back. _“Yah, I know!_ But he could have gotten someone else to take care   
of this shit!”

The pair were right outside the door now, because Stéphane could hear the other voice when it said in an almost board tone, “You’re the fastest at interrogations.”

_Shit. They were here for him._ Stéphane steeled himself for what would no doubt be the most intense – and likely painful – interrogation of his life.

The door opened, and whoever Stéphane had pictured in his head as the duo on the other side, were not who walked in. A pair of rather short alphas allowed the door to swing shut behind them. For a while, the three just stared at one another. The blond had shoulder-length hair, and was clearly the angry one – he was also clearly Russian, and far too young to be doing whatever was about to be done to him. The other was of unknown origin to Stéphane, but he appeared much more level headed than the angry blond now stomping across the room to him.

“Gonna get blood on my good boots,” the young blond grumbled under his breath, stopping and bending over to look Stéphane in the eyes. After a moment, he spoke clearly. “Listen, I don’t want to have to be down here with you right now. I’ve had a _shit_ could of weeks, and all I want to do is go to bed. So, answer whatever I ask, and I’ll put a bullet clean through your head and call it a day. Deal?”

Stéphane pursed his lips and drew his brows together. “So I’m going to die either way.”

The blond laughed, straightening his frame and throwing his head back as if Stéphane had just told him the world’s funniest joke. _“No shit!_ Apparently Vitya went and got himself a mate while I was away and _you tried to help him escape?_ What the _fuck_ did you think was going to happen?”

Apparently, the blond was waiting for an answer, because he just looked at Stéphane expectantly. Stéphane growled in response, “In that case, you’ll just have to kill me. Because I’m not telling you anything.”

The blond clucked his tongue and cast a look over to the other alpha, who was already shrugging from his leather jacket to reveal a black t-shirt underneath. “Beka, they never take me up on the   
easy offer.”

Beka shrugged. “The men who end up in this room aren’t the smartest, Yura.”

Yura smiled wickedly down at Stéphane, who just barely kept himself from swallowing in fear. “Yah, you’re right. Viktor must really hate this guy to send him to the red room.” Beka walked over and handed an item that Stéphane didn’t see to Yura until the blond was sliding the brass knuckle on his hand. “Do you know why this is called the red room?”

**_IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO AVOID VIOLENCE SKIP TO WHEN YOU SEE BOLDED WORDS_**

“Why?” Stéphane asked defiantly, right before Yura swung his fist down, connecting it with Stéphane’s jaw. Stéphane spit blood onto the floor, the metallic taste lingering in his mouth with his   
earlier vomit.

Yura lent down and smiled at him. “That’s why. Why clean a room that’s constantly getting dirty?”

Stéphane’s eyes widened as he took another look around the room. _Blood._ This room was covered in the blood of all the people who had been in here before him. _It looked like damn paint it was so thick!_ Stéphane felt more bile work its way up his throat, but another hit with the brass knuckles to his face had him swallowing the substance.

“Look, this could be really simple on you. All Viktor wants are the names of those who knew you were coming here, and those working on the Giacometti case. Simple as that and we can be done here.”

Stéphane spat blood out onto the boots of the blond – Yura. “I’ll never give you the names of my comrades.”

Yura glanced down at his boots and growled, his eyes shining with fury as he hit Stéphane again. “Sure, that’s what they all say. But buddy, trust me, you do not want to make it all the way around this room and to that box over there.” Yura hit Stéphane’s face again so that he was facing the box the blond was pointing to on the wall. There was the least amount of blood on and around the almost clean table in the corner. Not many people made it over there. “Do you know what is in there? A castration device built especially for the size of an alpha’s cock. Had to custom order it, because doing it by hand it just disgusting.”

Stéphane felt himself pale, but would not give in. He couldn’t give in. Because he knew if he did, then those of who’s names he gave up would likely also end up dead. “Fuck off!”

Yura sighed, slipping the brass knuckles covered in blood from his hands and slipping them into an empty metal tray held out by Beka. The darker alpha handed the blond a pair of pliers, couching down before the chair.

“Tell me their names,” the blond demanded.

“Never,” Stéphane growled.

Yura prepped the pliers and pulled off the fingernail of the smallest finger on Stéphane’s left hand. _It was the worst pain he had ever felt._ But each time the blond repeated the demand for names, Stéphane refused, and lost another fingernail, all the way until he was out. Stéphane let out a sigh of relief that the particular torture was finished, sweat breaking out across his skin. But Yura wasn’t done. He moved on to Stéphane’s toenails, and the alpha was practically weeping by the time the smaller alpha was finished.

“I don’t think he’s going to last much longer, Yura,” Beka said casually, holding out the metal tray for the bloodied pliers.

Two long metal contraptions were handed to Yura, and the young alpha slid them over the arms of the chairs to rest above Stéphane’s hands and between his fingers, twisting them to tighten until it was flush against his skin. Stéphane attempted to take a steadying breath to prepare himself. He had heard of this before, but had no idea people still used this method of torture – _tean zu._ If Stéphane thought having his nails removed was painful, he was about to have a rude awakening.

“Tell me their names,” Yura repeated again, exasperated.

Stéphane ground his teeth but refused to answer, resulting in the blond sighing as he twisted the device one turn.

_Oh, gods, he was going to do this one turn at a time?!_ Stéphane grit his teeth, preparing himself for a long, painful torture.

And it was. Turn by painful turn Stéphane had all the bones in his hands and fingers crushed beneath the metal device. Stéphane struggled, cursed, begged, and vomited multiple times before the process and the alpha was untwisting the device and removing it, placing both in the metal tray. Stéphane felt the torture had gone on for days, but in reality was likely only several hours. The blond had taken bits of Stéphane’s skin to a hole puncher, leaving holes through his skin across his stomach, thighs, and upper arms. He had been whipped across all areas of his body, and had several teeth pulled. At one point, the sweet mercy of darkness enveloped him as he passed out, but even that was not long-lived. Water had rushed down his throat, and soon he was being removed from the chair.

_A mercy,_ he had been sure. But he had been wrong, and all too weak to fight back as he was suspended upon a Judas cradle. Stéphane screamed, voice hoarse, at the unfamiliar intrusion into his body. Weights were added to his ankles and hands tied behind his back. _If they left him there…_

But leaving him there would have been too merciful as Stéphane refused to give up the names of his co-workers. The blond held a device similar to a cattle prod in his hands as he seemed to contemplate the state Stéphane was in.

“Don’t know why you’re being so stubborn,” the blond finally said. “You really think any of your so-called comrades would hold out this long before spilling your name?”

Stéphane grit his teeth, barely able to keep his eyes open to meet the blonde’s. “Don’t know,” he finally allowed. “But I’m not giving them up.”

Yura sighed and held the picana to Stéphane’s stomach. He looked at him with almost pity in his eyes. “Last chance before this gets real ugly. Tell me their names.”

Stéphane tried to steel himself, he truly did. But the sheer pain of the picana rocketed throughout his entire body. He felt pain in areas he was sure had long since lost their feeling, even places he was sure were dead by now – like his hands. But the shock of the picana had Stéphane rocking on the cradle, impaling himself further. And if Stéphane hadn’t already wished he was dead, he did now.

The begging continued. As did the repeated demand of the blond for the names of his co-workers, and so did the shocks, thus further impalement upon the cradle. Stéphane wasn’t sure how long the vicious cycle went on for, but the last thing he saw was the blond removing his gun from behind him, and saying those words one last time.

“Tell me their names.”

**_BANG_**

Yura stared at the pitiful corpse before him as Beka untied the rope and the body slumped forward, still impaled upon the Judas cradle. The poor bastard – Yura truly felt sorry for the man. Yura doubted the man was bad or evil, or whatever else someone would use to describe the typical men who entered this room. Just some poor bastard doing his job.

“He didn’t give us the names,” Beka pointed out as he pulled the body from the cradle and placed it on the ground.

Yura shrugged, carrying his gun as it was too hot to put away as he knocked on the door to signal to the beta on the other side that they were done. The door opened and the pair made their way back down the hallway toward the stairs to the main level of the manor. “He wasn’t going to give anything up and we both know it. Why waste our time. Dude was seconds from death anyway.”

Yura handed the warm gun to Beka and took out his phone, typing out a quick text to Viktor.

_Done. Bastard bit the bullet before giving up any names._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whaaat triple chapter today :) sorry there was no Viktor or Yuuri in this chapter, but wanted my loose ends tied up! They'll be back soon! We're getting close to Yuuri's heat!


	15. The Confused

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a short chapter with some internal struggle of our cinnamon bun

Yuuri felt like he had an awful hangover – worse than his twenty-first birthday when his sister Mari and dance instructor Minako took him out and insisted he match them drink for drink. With a groan, Yuuri turned in his nest, burying his face in the comforting smell. The smell of rainwater was always one of Yuuri’s favorite scents, reminding him of his home in the spring. Taking a slow breath of the scent, Yuuri let out a content sigh, purring contently. The feeling of a thumb brushing gently across the back of his neck tempting to lull him back to sleep.

Wait.

Yuuri slowly opened his eyes, squinting without his glasses to see that he was in fact not in his nest, but on a bed. Snuggled against a firm body that smelled of the comforting rainwater and pine. Pushing back from the body, Yuuri placed a hand on his head with a groan, the awful feeling of hangover intensifying with each movement.

“Careful little one, you’ve had a stressful night.”

Keeping his hand on his head, Yuuri opened one eye to see Viktor lying on the bed wearing a white V-neck t-shirt, the covers of the bed covering his bottom half. Glancing down at himself revealed while he had no shirt upon his person, he did still don his black boxer-briefs. A small bit of panic began to make its way through Yuuri, but the scent of fresh pine and rainwater washed over Yuuri’s senses like a gently rolling tide, working within him to calm his nerves enough to properly think. How had he gotten there?

Right, he had run away from the mansion. Three alphas had caught him, and then they had started… Tears prickled in Yuuri’s eyes and Viktor sat up, pulling him into his arms and releasing more calming pheromones. Yuuri barely resisted pressing his nose directly into the gland at the alpha’s neck, but allowed himself to turn his head.

“Shh, little one, you’re safe now. I’ve got you. Do you remember me coming to get you?” Yuuri nodded and Viktor made a pleased hum deep in his chest. “Do you remember what happened after I got you to the car?”

Vague, fuzzy memories of clinging to Viktor in the car, the alpha’s suit jacket draped over his shoulders and surrounding him in the calming scent filtered through his mind. He remembered Viktor speaking to the gruff alpha that had been with him at the auction, but could not make out what they were saying. He remembered Viktor trying to set Yuuri down in the bedroom, and Yuuri clinging desperately to the alpha, to the scent of safety. Somehow Viktor had coaxed Yuuri to stand so he could get him out of the dirty clothes that smelled of the alpha who had groped him. He remembered Viktor holding him in his lap as the two sat in the bath, and Viktor’s gentle fingers working to wash his hair and body. Viktor had then dressed himself in the t-shirt and boxer-briefs, but Yuuri had refused to dress more than he was currently. He remembered Viktor tending to him throughout the night as Yuuri buried his nose against Viktor’s neck, the alpha holding him in his arms and crooning to calm the nearly-dropped omega.

Yuuri was embarrassed. It had been so long since he had a partial drop, that he had completely forgotten what the experience was like. Usually, Yuuri didn’t fall into a partial drop, but would fall completely into a full omega drop when he panicked. Then he would be out cold for two days while his body worked to stabilize itself. In a way, Yuuri was grateful his body only fell into a partial drop, because he was only out for little more than twelve hours. But nobody other than his family had ever seen him drop. But it had been so long since he had experienced any kind of drop, his dance instructor Minako helped him avoid dropping a great deal, even teaching him how to control his fear enough to be stronger than his omega instincts. Yuuri thought he had been doing so well, under the circumstances. The drop had snuck up on him. He had never been in such a situation before.

_But Viktor had taken good care of him since he brought Yuuri to the manor. Viktor had saved Yuuri from those other alphas. Viktor had stayed up all night, after having told Yuuri that he would be busy with work. Viktor was comforting Yuuri and protecting him. Viktor was an attentive alpha._

Yuuri pushed the thoughts of Viktor being an attentive and caring alpha from his mind, and nodded that he remembered what had happened throughout the night, as fuzzy as the memories were. As misguided and…Yuuri forced himself to think the word dangerous, even if the thought left a sour taste in his mouth ( _how could such a kind alpha be dangerous?_ ) …as Yuuri thought Viktor was, he was still grateful that the mafia head had saved him. Yuuri didn’t want to think of what would have happened had Viktor not chased after Yuuri when he left. Between waiting in a cage for his family to realize where he was being held, and facing the possibility that he could be raped if he ran…Yuuri would just have to wait for someone to come to him.

“Oh, my Yuuri. You gave me such a fight yesterday,” Viktor spoke softly, almost a murmur as he spoke to the omega.

Yuuri took a steadying breath and pulled away from Viktor, looking the alpha in the eyes. “Thank you, Viktor. For saving me.”

The alpha gave Yuuri a wide smile at his thanks, taking the omega’s hand and bringing it to his lips for a kiss. Yuuri blushed but when he tried to take his hand back the alpha held strong, catching Yuuri’s eyes and holding the other’s gaze. “I will always come for you, my Yuuri. No matter where you go, I will bring you back safe.”

Yuuri didn’t think he liked what Viktor was saying – it was as if the alpha would never let him go. Maybe he wouldn’t. But Yuuri’s omega was swooning at the almost romantic gesture, which Yuuri had to stomp down. Yuuri knew as the days went on that his omega instincts would only get stronger and stronger, until he was nest bound and pure omega for his heat. If nobody came for him, Yuuri would be spending his heat at Nikiforov manor – where Viktor intended for them to bond. Yuuri went to touch the collar around his neck, only to feel his bare skin.

“Mm,” Viktor hummed, catching onto Yuuri’s surprise. “During the night you were complaining about the collar and cuffs rubbing your glands, so I removed them.” Viktor turned Yuuri’s wrist still held in his hand upward, and leaned down for a smell with a sigh. “You really do smell divine. I could just eat you up.”

Viktor gave a playful nip at the gland on Yuuri’s wrist, who was just barely able to suppress the moan that threatened to push past his lips. He had nearly forgotten how sensitive the glands on his wrist became the closer he got to a heat. Usually he was distracted by the increased irritation of his bonding gland, and would forget about his wrists since they weren’t usually bothered. However, this was the first time someone had dared even touch his glands so close to a heat, let alone _kiss them._ The tingling warmth that spread from the point of contact had taken Yuuri by surprise.

Yuuri glanced over his shoulder back at the cage and to his nest. The nest was hideous to Yuuri, but was the best he could do under the circumstances, and after being confined to the nest for so long, he was beginning to miss its familiarity. Yuuri ignored how he practically longed to be back behind the bars where he knew he would be safe. Nobody but two specific maids and Viktor dared to enter the room.

“I would like to rest in my nest for a bit longer,” Yuuri finally settled on saying, the ever-present feeling of being hungover moving to the forefront of his thoughts.

Viktor nodded and stood from the bed, bending down to scoop Yuuri into his arms. Normally, Yuuri would have protested, but after the partial drop, he knew his muscles would barely hold him in a standing position, let alone allow him to cross the room to the cage and into his nest. Instead, he silently linked his arms around the alpha’s neck, and allowed him to lower Yuuri into the nest. Yuuri pulled the blanket around himself and burrowed into the nest, Viktor making a pleased rumble in his chest. Yuuri ignored how the sound almost lulled him to sleep like a lullaby.

“I hear Phichit will be stopping by the manor this afternoon. If you are feeling better, perhaps Phichit could join you in there with a laptop and help you order new nesting materials,” Viktor suggested. “I’ll have a credit card prepared for you to use. Get anything you like.” Viktor waited until Yuuri lifted his head from the nest to look at the alpha, before continuing. “Phichit will be the one using the laptop, make no mistake. We don’t want a repeat of what happened last night should there be any…funny business.”

Yuuri shuddered and nodded, sinking back into his nest while keeping an eye on the alpha. Viktor had pre-linked a collar to the leash within the cage, and Yuuri sat perfectly still as Viktor clasped it around the omega’s neck and pocketed the key. Yuuri knew the alpha would be taking no chances with Yuuri after the day before, but honestly he could have left Yuuri on the bed with no leash and Yuuri wouldn’t have tried to escape. He was too tired, and knew he didn’t have the strength to make it to even the bedroom door. Yuuri would have to think not of a way out of the manor, but a way to survive his heat un-bonded.

“Oh, that’s right,” Viktor said as if he had suddenly remembered, turning back to look at Yuuri after he had locked the cage. “Cao Bin will be guarding the room outside the door, just so you still feel safe. You remember him, right? He guarded you the last time Phichit was in the manor.”

Yuuri nodded but then drew his brows together. His throat worked to swallow the lump of dread he was feeling. “Viktor, what happened to Stepan?”

Viktor seemed to contemplate Yuuri and his question for quite a long time. But Yuuri knew. He knew by the look in the alphas eyes what had happened to the kind Officer Stéphane.

“He resigned during the night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this one was shorter but after those last few heavy chapters I wanted us all to take a breather and reading something more...fluffy? Not quite fluffy, but we'll get to that eventually :)
> 
> Let me know if you guys would like several chapters of lighter content before it gets heavy again, get some domestic Yuuri in there. Or if you guys would like to get into the heavy shit sooner. I love to hear what you guys think and what you want from the story! I can't promise I can make everyone happy, but I do try to take what you guys say into consideration :)


	16. The Wildcard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yura

Yura had just finished recounting the past several weeks he had away from the manor, and ended with the lack of information from the man he had tortured during the night. He hadn’t even slept in two days and was getting rather cranky. Otabek would be waiting for him in Yura’s room, and all he wanted to do was get back and sleep for the next week beside his lover. Not that he would ever tell anyone, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Viktor already knew about him and Beka.

“You can’t be serious,” Viktor finally spoke, having listened to the retelling of Yura’s mission.

Yura sighed, annoyed. “Look, that bastard wasn’t going to give anything up. He was minutes from death as it was – what’s it matter if I offed him a little early?”

Viktor raised a perfectly groomed silver eyebrow at the younger alpha and waved off his words with his hand before lacing his fingers back under his chin. “I don’t care about Officer Lambiel. I was just going to have him disappear, but Chris suggested trying to see if he had any useful information – scared men have loose tongues and all that. Any information he offered would have simply been a bonus on our end.”

Yura was confused. “Then what are you on about? I already told you – I got the information you wanted. It’s in that folder.”

Viktor spared the briefest of glances down at the slim folder upon his desk, but lifted his eyes back to Yura’s. “I’m talking about how it took you much longer than anticipated. You were supposed to be back last week.”

Yura clenched his fists. “I know. Things didn’t go as planned.”

Viktor’s stare didn’t waver. “That much is obvious. You said yourself that you made too much noise and got caught in the compound.” Viktor spoke his next words slowly. “Unusual, for Nikiforov’s Ice Tiger – that is what they call you, correct? _Silent_ like a stalking cat, with the deadly pounce of a predator. _Silent,_ being the key feature here.”

Teeth grinding, Yura hissed out, “It was one moment that caught me off guard.”

“You screamed in the dead of night where there was no sound.”

“I was in pain!”

“You stubbed your toe!” Viktor gestured with both hands toward Yura’s booted feet, no longer able to hold onto his professional persona with the younger alpha, a wide, mocking grin spreading across his features.

Yura huffed, “Yah! And it really hurt! Who puts a table that close to doorway?”

Viktor leaned back in his chair, still grinning like a moron in Yura’s eyes. “Seriously, Yura. To alert an entire military compound to not only your presence but your location as well. Over something as minimal as having stubbed your toe.”

“I don’t remember the last time I’ve felt such pain!” Yura protested, showing for the first time in a long while how youthful he still was at eighteen.

Viktor shook his head in disbelief. “Yura, you’ve been shot before.”

“When was the last time you stubbed your toe on an end table?” Yura accused.

“It’s been so long I can’t recall,” Viktor admitted, still grinning and leaning back in his chair.

Yura turned his head away in a huff. “Then you can’t chastise me for it.”

A gentler smile crossed the older alpha’s features then. “If it were nearly anyone else but you, they’d be on cleanup duty for at least the next month.”

Yura turned back to look at the alpha he considered family. “If it were anyone other than me they’d likely be dead.” Viktor acknowledged his words with a hum. Yura relaxed as he strode forward and dropped sideways into one of the plush chairs before Viktor’s desk, feet dangling over the arm. “So, what’s in that folder anyway? It didn’t look important when I scanned its contents.”

Viktor picked the folder from the desk and dropped it without a care into his waste bin. “It’s not. I had you take the folder to better throw off the scent of my work with Phichit. But from the content of the folder, it appears my concerns were for naught. The Thai government appears to be under the impression that a smaller drug lord is attempting to produce a new drug. They don’t suspect Phichit – and with this folder missing with their leads on the other, we’ve ensured for the next long while they won’t divert their attention toward us.”

Yura’s interest peaked. The Swiss alpha and Thai beta were too friendly and energetic for Yura, but he couldn’t say he disliked having the pair around. Between the pair and the stuck-up alphas and betas in the manor who seemed to always have a stick up their asses. Yura would choose the former. At least getting that useless information wasn’t for nothing. “You and hamster boy are working on a new drug?”

Viktor smiled slyly with a nod of his head. “For a while now. Phichit ran the first trials a few weeks ago, and it’s coming along nicely.”

“So, what’s it do?” Yura attempted to sound casual and disinterested, but he knew he wasn’t fooling the other alpha.

Viktor paused for a long while, clearly debating whether he should let the younger man in on the know. “It triggers mini-heats in omegas.”

Yura blinked in surprise, not having expected that. Knowing Phichit and his love for party drugs, he expected it to be some stronger version of cocaine, or something similar. “How does that work?”

Viktor smiled. “It’s an adapted version of ecstasy – a small tablet we’re branding with a small flame. Cleaver, right? Anyway, the omega is given the tablet, and right now it takes around thirty-minutes to take effect, and it’s only lasting for another thirty. We’re hoping to get the time down from ingestion to effect, and increase the potency for longer-lasting.” Viktor seemed pleased with himself and the progress the drug was making. “It’s called _OH,_ for Omega Heat. Other than the timing of the drug, the simulation of a heat is all there. The omegas it’s been tested on beg for their alpha’s cocks just as if they were in the middle of their heat.”

“That’s impressive,” Yura allowed. Because it was. He never would have thought such a drug could be made – this could change the world. Not that he cared if the world changed or not – he didn’t have a preference one way or the other. He cared about Viktor’s success. The man had taken him in when he didn’t need to – at four years old with no living relatives, Yura was of no use to the Russian Bravata and its Pakhan. Viktor could have easily dropped Yura off at an orphanage and that would have been that. But he didn’t. Viktor had taken Yura in and together with Yakov and Lilia taught Yura how to defend himself. How to both protect others and kill them. At ten Yura felt he was ready to begin helping the Bravata in a meaningful way, but Viktor had held him back.

_Once you’ve finished your studies,_ the alpha had told him with a pat to his head more times than Yura could remember.

And so, he continued to study his maths and languages and every other subject deemed important to study. Until he was sixteen, and Viktor allowed Yura to accompany the stoic alpha Otabek – who was appointed as Yura’s guard when he wasn’t away on missions – on a local job. One of Viktor’s men thought it would go unnoticed if he was smuggling some of the supplies he was supposed to be selling and pocketing the cash. It wasn’t enough cash for Viktor to care about or miss, but it was the message he needed to give to anyone else thinking of doing the same. One inside smuggler would turn to two, and two to ten and so on. The missing revenue would add up eventually, so Viktor sent Otabek to take care of the issue. And he allowed Yura to accompany to begin seeing how situations were handled.

What a thrill it had been. Yura’s blood and adrenalin had been pumping so hard through his body that part way back to the manor it all crashed and Yura was throwing up out the window of the car Otabek drove. The other alpha had laughed and smacked his back a few times, offering Yura a swig of a dark liquor once he had pulled his upper body back through the window. From then on, when Otabek got an assignment Yura would be allowed to tag along and observe. It couldn’t have been more than a few times he had accompanied the other alpha that he decided he could help, and had subsequently set off the fire alarm to the warehouse they were in by accident. It was a disaster, but Otabek had managed to keep both of them safe and complete the mission. The pair had grown closer after that incident, but it still took Yura a full year before he convinced the older alpha to _finally just stuff his cock in his ass and fuck him into the next day._

_Such romantic words,_ the alpha had laughed at him. The memory still made Yura smile. And not just because the alpha had taken Yura up on his words.

But this had been Yura’s first real job, now that he had finished his studies and was an adult, away from the safe boarders of Saint Petersburg and Viktor’s territory. Away from where backup was only a call – and minutes – away. This was the first mission Yura had been on where if he got into trouble, there would be no one coming for him. Except Otabek.

In the end, it had gone fine. He had done what he was told to do! Even if there was a small mishap. Nothing that he and Otabek couldn’t handle. They _had_ handled it. Even if it was supposed to be a stealth mission, the news was calling it a brutal massacre. _“At least fifty men would have needed to storm the Thai military base to leave such a tragedy in its wake,”_ the media was saying.

_If only they knew it was just two crafty alphas from Russia._

A knock at the door pulled Yura from his thoughts as he looked over the back of the chair to where the door was being pushed open, revealing a smiling Thai man dressed in red. “Yura! You’re  
back!”

Yura pretended to growl in distaste at the other man. “Yah, and I haven’t slept in two days. So, if you have business with Viktor then I’m out.”

Viktor gave a small wave to the smaller alpha as he stood from the chair and stormed from the office. “I assume you’ve been informed I brought back an omega from my time in New York? His heat is next week, so after you’ve rested today and tomorrow, I’d like you to meet him. Join us for dinner.”

Yura waved his hand over his head to let the Pakhan knew he had heard him. He didn’t care to meet this omega that seemed to catch Viktor’s eye. Honestly, Yura was just surprised that the other alpha wasn’t tired of the omega yet. But Viktor wasn’t getting any younger, and at twenty-nine the younger alpha would be surprised if the Pakhan wasn’t thinking about starting a family. After all, Viktor himself became the Pakhan at fifteen after the death of his father, the last Pakhan. If Viktor died early, gods forbid, then he needed to have an heir – an alpha heir.

Of course, Viktor had already told Yura that should he pass before starting his own family, that he would be appointed the next Pakhan – Viktor had everything set up for the transition should anything happen. But Yura had his own plans for his future. He didn’t want to become the next Pakhan – he was too much of a free spirit to be confined in such a way with so much pressure. No, he hoped that Viktor would live out long enough to see his own adult alpha son become the next Pakhan. And if Yuuri was young enough, he would take over Yakov’s job and become the assistant. If he was old enough, he would retire and live out his days with Otabek – somewhere with a nice little pond out back that would freeze in the winter. The young alpha hadn’t forgotten that Yakov would sneak Yura from his studies on occasion and take him to the lake on the manor’s property during the winter, when the water had frozen solid and he could learn to skate. When he was young, Yura used to hope that Viktor would take him out skating – teach him the things the young boy knew the alpha knew about skating. But he hadn’t, and Yura could only dream that in another life the older man would teach him to skate.

Shaking his head, Yura stripped from all his clothes and crawled into his bed next to his sleeping lover. Otabek’s arms snuck around Yura’s waist and pulled the smaller man flush to his chest. No matter what alternate universes existed out there, Yura hoped his other selves were just as happy in Beka’s arms as he was.

Yura and Otabek rested for two days, just as Viktor had allowed. With a stretch of his arms over his head, Yura wasn’t sure what to do with the rest of his day before dinner with Viktor and his future mate. He had spent so much time planning that mission with Beka, that the sudden free-time was daunting. He knew as the Pakhan’s family – brother in all but blood – he didn’t have duties around the manor like the other members. He would have to find Yakov later and ask what the old alpha wanted him to do until his next assignment.

Usually, Otabek was Yura’s guard, and the two would spend their free time together, but the other alpha had gotten up early to fill out paperwork from their last mission, and Yura hadn’t run into the man yet. Shoving his hands in his pockets, Yura made his way toward the library in the manor. The room was quiet, and Yura could play games on his phone or dig out the old hand-held gaming system he had squirreled away between the cushions of the couch.

Kicking open the door in an uncaring manor, the young alpha was surprised to see two men within the library. One was Cao Bin, who had been quick to draw his weapon and have it aimed at Yura. With a growl at the larger man, Yura sent the warning for him to put his weapon away. Shoulders relaxing the other alpha did just that, allowing Yura to turn his attention to the man the other seemed to be guarding.

He was of foreign lineage, with his dark hair and eyes. And tall. Maybe half a head taller than Yura, if he had to guess by the long legs extended onto a footrest before the couch. His eyes were wide behind blue framed glasses, and he held a book in his hands, a large blue blanket upon his lap. With a whiff, Yura determined the last defining feature of the mystery man. He was an omega.

“Are you Vitya’s mate?” Yura asked, striding over and bending at the waist to look the man in the eyes where he sat on the couch.

The man appeared nervous, and so close Yura could smell heavy notes of cherry over cinnamon. “Um, who?”

Yura rolled his eyes and stood back to full height, rounding the couch and allowing himself to fall into it. “Viktor, the Pakhan. Are you his mate.”

The omega’s jaw seemed to set and his eyes turned hard. “He intends me to be.”

_Oh, that was interesting._ Yura stretched his feet out, resting them against the side of the omega’s thighs. “You don’t want to be the mate of the most powerful man in Russia?”

The omega looked directly into Yura’s eyes, unwavering. “Would you want to be kidnapped from the life you knew and be bonded against your will?”

Yura shook his head. “No, but shitty things happen and we don’t get to decide when, who, or why.”

The jaw of the omega clenched harder and Yura already knew this omega was different than those he had met before – most of his interactions with omegas being with JJ’s own, but that was a different matter. “What’s your name?”

“Yuuri.” Yura gave a snort of laughter, causing the other man to cast him a confused gaze. “What’s so funny?”

Yura waved his hand between them. “Yuri.”

“Yes?”

Yura shook his head. “No, my name is Yuri. But nobody has called me that in years. Everybody just calls me Yura since the Pakhan does.”

The other Yuuri smiled at him, book resting in his lap. “I guess that is kind of funny.”

“So, what are you going to do about it?”

Yuuri furrowed his brows. “About my name?”

Yura huffed, “No, dumbass, about your mating with Viktor. You know there’s no way out of it.”

Yuuri’s hands clenched around the book in his lap. “I’m not going to let him bond me, or join me for my heat.”

Yura rolled his eyes. “Okay, but say he does anyway. Or you get all horny or whatever and let him in anyway. _Then_ what is your plan?”

Yuuri looked to his lap, hands still clutching the book with white knuckles. “I don’t have another plan. I need to make it through my heat without being bonded and then get out of here.”

Yura laughed, hands linking behind his head. “Okay, even you have to know that’s never going to happen. I heard all about how that worked out the first time – _not well._ Look, this is the first-time Viktor has kept an omega in the manor for more than one night, if you catch my drift. He’s going to bond you one way or another, so you better prepare for it. What’s your plan for after he bonds you?”

Yuuri looked back at Yura. “I don’t have one.”

“If you ask me, your plan should be _survive._ Viktor might be a bad man, but he’s not a bad guy.”

Yuuri furrowed his brows at the young alpha. “That doesn’t make any sense. Why would you want to help me anyway?”

Yura dug in the couch cushion for his hand-held gaming device. “I don’t give a flying fuck about you, if I’m being honest. But Vitya is family, and if helping you learn to survive this crazy manor and be a good mate to him will make him happy, then buckle up. If your plan to avoid being bonded doesn’t go how you want it to, I’ll help you adjust to life here so Viktor doesn’t have to worry about your ass all the time.”

The door to the library opened once more, and Yura saw Cao Bin reach back for his gun. But it was the Pakhan himself who strode through the doors. “My Yuuri! Your new nesting materials arrived! I’ve sent them down to be cleaned before being brought to the room. Oh! Yura! It looks like you two have met! Wonderful!” The alpha beamed at the pair who shared a namesake. “Were you two getting along?”

Yuuri didn’t speak, so Yura did, not bothering to look away from his game. “Yah, we were just talking about me showing him the ropes of the manor after you guys bond. I don’t have anything to do until you give me another assignment, and you’ll be too busy with that thing with Phichit.”

From the corner of his eye he could see Viktor practically beaming. “What a wonderful idea, Yura! I would like nothing more than for our family to get along! Yuuri, you’ll love Yura just as much as I do, I’m sure!”

“Um, sure,” Yuuri finally spoke, shifting in his seat uncomfortably. Yura rolled his eyes.

“Yuuri!” Yura sighed at the sound of the energetic Thai man entering the library behind Viktor. “The clothes we ordered along with your nesting materials are being brought upstairs. Let’s go try them on!” The Thai man skipped past Viktor and was pulling the omega up from the couch by the hand with a large smile. He winked at Viktor on their way past. “No peaking!”

Viktor chucked as Cao Bin followed after the omega and beta, turning to look at Yura. “Thank you, Yura, for being kind to my Yuuri. I’ve grown rather fond of him – he keeps surprising me in the most entertaining ways.”

Yura huffed a chuckle. “Oh, I think you’re going to be surprised, that’s for sure.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it looks like people are either wanting more fluff or are okay either way. So I wanted to get this chapter out and let us all get to know Yura a little more since he'll be around for a while, and I didn't want to just jump into Yuuri interacting with him without us knowing more about his character. So here it is!
> 
> Next chapter will be fluffy :) gotta get some pre-heat Yuuri going on. If you've forgotten where we are in the timeline it is:  
> 2 days to strong nesting urges, 4 days until Yuuri is nest bound, and 5 days until his heat.
> 
> Since the timeline is so close to Yuuri's heat, the next chapter will probably be the only fluffy one before we hit the heavy ~and steamy~ chapter of Yuuri's heat :) I'm thinking about having Yuuri's heat as a double chapter - one from Yuuri's POV and one from Viktor's, so let me know! :)


	17. The Nester

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter got pretty long! Enjoy! :)
> 
> Also, I love Phichit. He's low key my fav ;)

Yuuri had only picked out two pairs of jeans and some sweaters, so he wasn’t sure why, when Phichit pulled him by the hand into Viktor’s room, the two head maids were laying out outfits from _dozens_ of boxes. The bed was covered in folded pants and shirts of all kinds, while the second maid could be seen hanging Yuuri didn’t know what in the closet. Maybe Viktor had gotten some new clothes as well?

“Ee!” Phichit squealed, pulling Yuuri further into the room and toward the bed. “What do you want to try on first? Should we do this tactfully? Go from style to style? Or maybe occasion to occasion? Hmm…” Phichit trailed off as he began scanning the bed.

“But…” Yuuri was lost and didn’t know where to begin. Phichit made a sound in his throat that let Yuuri know the beta was at least listening to him. “I only ordered some sweaters…”

Phichit waved him off and selected an outfit, pushing Yuuri by the shoulders toward the ridiculously large bathroom. “Yah, and they were super boring! No offense,” he added with a smile. “They’re still there, I didn’t remove them or anything – I just used them as inspiration to get you a few other things!”

“A few!” Yuuri balked, stopping inside the bathroom to peak back at the bed around the younger man. “Phichit! It looks like you purchased a mall!”

Phichit’s eyes shone with excitement, “Do you think we could have gotten away with putting that on Viktor’s card?”

“Phichit!”

“I’m joking!” The other man laughed, only looking like he partly meant what he said. “I only got you set up with the essentials! Just enough to get you through the fall and the beginning of winter in case it comes early. We can go for-real shopping once winter hits.” 

Yuuri hoped he wouldn’t be in the manor long enough to see winter. But…Yura’s words floated through his mind, on how he needed to start preparing for what his life would be like if nobody came to rescue him. Yuuri shook his head to dispel the thoughts – he needed to survive his heat first, and worry about what would happen later when it came to that. There was no way for him to plan for a future after his heat if he didn’t know how his heat would go.

“Now hurry! We have a lot for you to try on, and I want to see them all!”

When Phichit said he wanted to see Yuuri in them all, he meant it. Outfit after outfit Yuuri stepped from the bathroom to Phichit whistling and announcing a score. When Yuuri would change into the next outfit he would bring Phichit the last one, who would either hang or put away the items on Yuuri’s side of the closet – he couldn’t let the maid do it, because not even Phichit was sure how he wanted to organize the omega’s clothes until he was several outfits in.

Most of the outfits were leggings, the majority of which were black but the occasional maroon or gray or dark blue was thrown in, and loose fitted sweaters so soft Yuuri thought he might just build his nest from the sweaters rather than the usual blankets. There were off-the-shoulder sweaters and fitted sweaters, ones with cowl necks and V-necks. Ones where the sleeves came to the tips of his fingers and ones that ended half-way down his forearm. But by the time Yuuri had moved on to jeans that Phichit would insist needed to be tailored if it didn’t cup Yuuri’s _boot-a-luscious booty_ – as Phichit had called it – just right, Yuuri was having fun. Laughing aloud with Phichit and even doing funny poses. It was the first time Yuuri had dared laugh in weeks, and he could almost forget under which circumstances he had come to know the beta.

All the jeans were tight and skinny, allowing him to show off his long, toned legs and powerful thighs from years of dancing. Yuuri had never worn skinny jeans before, but after the first few he was used to the way they felt and could even understand why so many preferred them over Yuuri’s normal boot-cut. Casual button-ups such as plaids or flannels were paired with the jeans, along with loose and fitted tank-tops. To Yuuri’s surprise, Phichit had even ordered Yuuri several outfits to work-out in, including several leotards and sweatpants. Phichit presented Yuuri with a square box when he exited the bathroom in the next leotard, wide smile upon the beta’s lips.

“Ee! You look so good! I knew that would suit you well!” Phichit squealed, bouncing in place upon the bed where he sat cross-legged. “10/10! Total Eros!”

Yuuri flushed a dusted pink, but took the box from the beta. Yuuri had no idea why Phichit had purchased that particular leotard – much showier than the other plain ones he had tried on previous. There were netting and jewels and a small partial skirt on one side; and while he was _technically_ more covered than a typical leotard, he somehow felt more exposed. Biting his lip to hide his embarrassment, Yuuri lifted the lid from the box and gasped, eyes the color of cinnamon cherries going wide.

“Do you like them?” Phichit asked, excitement clear in his voice.

Did he like them? Yuuri _loved_ them. Ballet pointes in a blue so dark Yuuri mistook the color for black before holding one up to the light. They were beautiful, and elegant, and _oh gosh they had to be so expensive_ based on the branding on the box _Gaynor Miden._ The ribbons included were the same color as the shoes, and Yuuri could feel tears in his eyes.

“Phit, I… I love them…but…”

“Hey now! No need for tears!” Phichit gave Yuuri a warm smile. “When we first met you talked all about how you’re a dancer! Viktor obviously didn’t have anything here for you to use, so I went ahead and put that in the cart for you! _And,”_ Phichit waggled his eyebrows in a suggestive way, “I bet if you ask Viktor nicely he’d convert one of these many unused rooms in this ridiculously oversized manor into a studio for you.”

Yuuri still wanted to hold out that someone was going to come for him – _his family had to have every possible search out for him by now_ – but if he had somewhere to pass the time and not fall out of practice… But the thought of asking the man who intended to bond Yuuri against his will, and had done nothing but attempt to reassure the omega that there was nothing to fear and his nerves were making him rebel rather than listen to what the omega had to say – well, the thought didn’t sit well with Yuuri. Maybe after he regained his strength after his heat he would feel well enough to practice within the cage.

Hugging the pointe shoes close to his chest Yuuri gave a warm smile right back at the beta. “Thank you Phit.”

Phichit gave the omega another wide smile before holding out a new set of clothes. “It was no trouble! Now hurry along and let’s get back to the fun! Cao Bin stuck his head in while you were changing and announced dinner was ready, but I asked him to have the maid bring it up for us so we didn’t have to stop. We still have so much more!”

Yuuri rolled his eyes and placed the pointe shoes back in the box before taking the next outfit from the beta. Apparently, it was on to dress clothes, because what he was given was a simple white button-up dress shirt and black slacks. There weren’t many of the outfits, several of them being accompanied by suit jackets to match, but while there were few they were varied in color. Black, white, navy blue, electric blue, maroon, red, plum, winter green, and even a burnt orange and a yellow that Phichit immediately decided wasn’t Yuuri’s color and set off to the side to be taken away.

Their dinner arrived just as Phichit was fussing with the sleeve of one of the dress shirts – this one in a checkered pattern that Yuuri wasn’t sure he liked but Phichit insisted was _very modern and in right now._ Not wanting to eat in the expensive suit, Phichit skipped to the closet and quickly found one of the sweaters Yuuri had picked out for himself, along with a pair of leggings. When Yuuri emerged, suit draped over his arms, Phichit took them to hang with the others in the closet, mumbling through a mouthful of food for Yuuri to dig in. It appeared to be a simple roast with potatoes and vegetables, a small bowl of fruit set between the two plates of food along with glasses of water and juice. The pair ate while it was mostly Phichit who talked – discussing all the outfits Yuuri had tried on so far and which ones the Thai beta deemed the best. But it was all in good fun, and Yuuri enjoyed the downtime from trying on clothes – _how much more did Phichit intend for him to try on?_ – and when they were done Phichit pushed the cart to the door where the maid retrieved it and left.

“Right! Only a few more things!” Phichit declared, rubbing one hand on his stomach to settle his food while he looked between what was still on the bed, what was still in boxes, and the closet. “Okay, so I say we start with pajamas first.”

Yuuri wasn’t even sure they could be considered pajamas. There were short-shorts and tank tops and short night dresses that Yuuri was _positive_ wouldn’t cover his backend the entire way, made of silks and laces and _netting._ Yuuri thought his mind was going to melt when Phichit pulled out what he called _baby dolls._ It took far longer than Yuuri expected to convince Phichit he didn’t need to try anything on. It was only at the end when Phichit stopped himself mid-push of Yuuri back toward the bathroom that a lightbulb seemed to go off as he declared that Viktor probably wouldn’t like anyone other than the alpha himself seeing Yuuri in such clothes, that Phichit relented. That wasn’t the reason Yuuri didn’t want to try them on, because he didn’t even want Viktor to see him in such a way – he was just too embarrassed to be seen wearing so little!

Phichit had Yuuri help him carry all the _pajamas_ to the closet, and Yuuri was surprised to see his side was nearly as full as Viktor’s by that point. Setting all the items onto the island in the center of the closet, Phichit walked to the far end and selected an item in a garment bag. There appeared to be around ten or twelve in total on that end, the section mostly empty with the bags spaced out.

“Fine, fine, we’ll move on! We have formal wear next!” Phichit declared, unzipping the bag to reveal the garment within.

“Formal wear?” Yuuri questioned. He didn’t think Viktor would ever let him out of the manor if someone wasn’t coming to save him, and if for some reason the Pakhan held a formal event in the manor he doubted the alpha would let him attend – especially un-bonded.

“Of course!” the beta exclaimed, as if the thought of not owning formal wear never crossed his mind. “You need to be prepared for every occasion! Now, let’s get you into this one!”

It was short, only coming to about Yuuri’s mid-thighs, but Yuuri would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy wearing the piece. It was a dark blue tunic dress that flowed freely in a straight cut. It had no sleeves, stopping at the ends of his shoulders and neckline stopping just above his collarbone. The neckline was decorated in silver and white stones. Phichit had produced a pair of silver heals that were so high Yuuri was sure he would break his ankle if he tried to so much as speed-walk anywhere in them. The inside of the dress was lined with silk, and Phichit couldn’t resist dragging Yuuri to the full-length mirror in the closet, pushing and holding Yuuri’s hair back from his face to show him what the beta was envisioning.

“With the contacts I purchased you and styling your hair like this, Viktor will be begging at your feet to accompany you anywhere!” Phichit’s words were meant to reassure Yuuri, but the omega didn’t know how he felt about what the beta had described.

That’s a lie. Yuuri knew exactly how the words made him feel. And he didn’t like it, because his body threatened to produce slick at just the thought of the alpha on his knees, kissing the omega’s ankle as he slipped the heal from his foot. Yuuri was glad the beta’s voice dragged him from his thoughts before he really _did_ start to produce slick at the fantasy. He would blame it on being so close to his heat.

“Really though, if he intends for you to continue wearing that collar and cuffs it’ll ruin the whole look,” the beta was complaining.

“Um, he changes them daily. There are several drawers…with…them…” Yuuri trailed off as Phichit began opening the drawers he hadn’t already been through earlier when putting clothes away.

The beta discovered what he was looking for and marveled at each collar and cuff set. He selected one, bringing only the collar over to Yuuri and holding it up to show what the item would look like with the dress. “Perfect! This is the one you’ll pair with it, okay?”

Yuuri blindly nodded, deciding long ago it was best to roll with whatever the beta was doing. The one he had chosen was made entirely of diamonds, and Yuuri didn’t even want to begin to think how much the item cost, let alone the set. Phichit eventually allowed Yuuri from the dress and continued down the line of dresses. There were three more short dresses, this time two fitted to his form and reminded him more of a cocktail dress and one more in the tunic style. There were three high-low dresses – one in gray, one in white, and one with a tan top and maroon bottom. And four full-length gowns that Yuuri was afraid to move in because they were obviously too expensive to have him anywhere near.

But Phichit helped Yuuri into the last full-length dress, and Yuuri just stared at himself in the mirror. It was a glittery gold, and came all the way to the base of his throat and down his arms to rest gently upon his wrists. There was no slit up the side, unlike the last gown he had tried on. Instead, the dress was rather sleek, and had matching heals to accompany the look. When Phichit whistled, Yuuri felt the cold air hit his back, and turned slightly to see behind him in the mirror. The dress was completely backless. From the back of his neck to across his solder blades, and down his spine to rest right above his rear where the dress tightened was on full display for anyone to see.

Yuuri felt like an omega goddess.

“Oh! This one is so good!” Phichit exclaimed, cutting off Yuuri’s distraction of himself.

Yuuri chuckled and gave a wide smile to the beta through the mirror. “You’ve said that about every dress.”

“Because they’re all so good! I hear you have an excellent stylist.” Phichit gave an over-exaggerated wink that had Yuuri giggling.

When the dresses and heals were all put away, Phichit allowed Yuuri back into the comfy outfit he had donned while they ate, and instructed to omega to change into that while he retrieved the last of the items. The beta returned carrying two boxes, and set them upon the island. Yuuri was cleaning his glasses on the hem of the sweater, and had just placed them back upon his nose in time to see Phichit remove the first item.

A belt?

No, it had too many straps to be a belt. Plus, it had a pocket? But it was made of leather. Yuuri gave up trying to figure out what the item was on his own, and decided to bite the bullet and ask the beta.

“Phit, what is that?”

“You wear it before a hot fuck!” the beta declared, holding it up to Yuuri.

If Yuuri had water in his mouth he would have spit it all out upon the beta. “What?” he barely managed to squeak.

Phichit was unfazed, holding the leather against the omega’s body as he tried to push it away. “You see, this part here holds your naughty bits in and covered, and these straps go down your right leg, then these come up around this way under your ribs then between your shoulder blades to finally form a leather collar! I bet Viktor will cum instantly when he sees you in this!”

 _“Phichit I can’t wear that!”_ Yuuri all but yelled, backing himself against the drawers to escape.

Phichit waved his hand and opened an unused drawer to file the garment into, but left it open so he could fill it with the others. “You’ll get used to them! It’s good to spice up the bedroom life occasionally! Here, what about this one?”

Yuuri thought he was going to die of embarrassment by the time Phichit had finished with the two boxes. _There was even a leather whip!_ Which Phichit had to inform him was a _crop._ And of very high quality, apparently. Yuuri vowed to never open that drawer once Phichit had finally closed it. There had been several more outfits, which had less material than the word _outfits_ had letters. And with each one, Yuuri had turned a bright pink. Just as a pink-faced Yuuri was following a laughing Phichit from the closet, Viktor was opening the main bedroom door.

“Viktor! Just in time!” Phichit called, waving. “Yuuri and I just finished putting away his clothes, and there are _several_ pieces that you’re really going to enjoy,” Phichit winked.

Viktor gave an amused smile and raised an eyebrow at the energetic beta. “I better like all of them, considering I paid for them all. I’ve come to let you know that Chris is here to pick you up.”

Phichit waved him off as he made his way toward the door, Viktor shrugging from his suit jacket. “Yah, yah, you’ll like them all. But there’s quite a few that make me think you won’t want to let Yuuri from this room.”

Viktor smirked and made his way toward Yuuri, pulling the omega into his side. “I never do.”

“Whatever, have fun during your heat Yuuri! Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.” With a final wink, the beta was out the door.

Once Phichit was out the door, Viktor turned and lead Yuuri back into the closet while she shed his clothes. “So, what were these items Phichit was talking about?”

“Nothing!” Yuuri said, rather too quickly, thinking immediately to the strappy bits of leather and the _crop_ hidden away on the bottom drawer.

Viktor cast a look at Yuuri that the omega couldn’t read, but hoped was more _amused_ than _annoyed._ “Really? Because your reaction seems to tell me otherwise.”

Yuuri flushed a darker pink and tried to give any reason other than the hidden drawer of unmentionables. “Um, just some formal gowns Phichit thought you might like to see me in. Some pajamas…leotards…” Yuuri was rambling.

Viktor had lead Yuuri back toward the bedroom, intended to have a quick shower with the omega as they did every night, before Yuuri was sure to be locked back in the cage now that he had regained his strength from the partial drop. “Leotards?”

Yuuri nodded, cautious now of the alpha. “Um, yes.”

“What for?” Viktor was now facing him, and Yuuri couldn’t help but fidget with the end of the sweater.

“Um, well, I’m a dancer, so Phichit thought I might want something to practice in to stay fit.”

Viktor gave a wave of his hand, as if dismissing the thought, and Yuuri’s heart sank. “I don’t like the idea of sending you out of the manor to a studio just for some exercise. If you’re that concerned about getting exercise, once my Makka is back you may take her for her walks around the grounds.”

Yuuri frowned. “Makka?”

Viktor flashed the purest smile Yuuri had seen him give, and it almost made him forget that before him was the most dangerous man in all of Russia. “My Makka! Her name is Makkachin, but I call her Makka for short. She’s my long-time companion. I used to ask my father for a dog every year for my birthday, but he never got me one. So, my first year as Pakhan, my assistant Yakov got her for me. You’ll love her, I’m sure!”

Dogs. This was a safe topic. Though the thought of his own Vicchan had him believing that he and Viktor had very different preferences for breeds. The Pakhan probably had a large dog he used for fighting. Not some cute little poodle like Yuuri’s Vicchan.

“Oh? Where is she now?” Yuuri asked, deflecting from having to respond to Viktor’s comment.

“I’ve sent her on a hunt. The details of which are not meant for the ears of a sweet omega,” Viktor told him, caressing the side of Yuuri’s face with his palm. “She’ll be back hopefully not long after your heat has finished. She’s been gone for quite some time and I miss her dearly. Now! Let us shower and I’ll help you settle into your nest.”

“Um!” Yuuri called, attempting to call all his nerves together. If he didn’t do it now, he didn’t think he would be able to later. Viktor turned back and looked at the omega expectantly. “Sorry, um, we were talking about me practicing dance earlier, so I-”

A look that Yuuri could only describe as the alpha attempting to reason with a child crossed Viktor’s face. “I have told you my decision, and I do not wish to hear of this nonsense again. You will not be leaving the manor.”

Yuuri clenched his fists, which he saw the alpha eye with curiosity. “I know you won’t let me from the manor. That’s why I was thinking…” Yuuri trailed off, unsure if he should continue. Thoughts of when he first met the alpha and made him angry flashing through his mind.

“I’m listening.”

Yuuri’s eyes flashed up to meet Viktor’s, and with it a renewed confidence. If only the smallest bit. “Um, so I was thinking if you had a spare room you weren’t using in the manor, that I could…practice…in there?” By the end, Yuuri could feel the barest of confidence he had escape his mouth with the words.

But still, Viktor was looking at him with interest. Eyeing up the omega from head to toe as he seemed to contemplate the request. “Fine.”

Yuuri hung his head having expected a rejection, but quickly raised it with hope in his eyes as his heart fluttered with joy. “Really? Oh, Viktor, thank you-”

“Conditionally.”

Yuuri’s heart sank back to his feet. There it was. He should have known better than to expect the Pakhan would do such a favor for him for nothing. The smile on the alphas lips was the most sinister thing Yuuri had witnessed in the manor as he took several long strides to the bed and sat, dressed in nothing but his boxier briefs.

“Come. Show me how much you want that studio.”

Yuuri clenched his fists even tighter at his sides as he met the alpha’s gaze. “What would you have me do?”

The alpha’s grin grew even wider as he looked upon the omega. “I want you to give me a blowjob. Your lips are so pretty; I want to see them swollen from work.”

Bile threatened to make its way up the omega’s throat as he looked at the relaxes position of the alpha. “You’re joking.”

“I assure you, I am not,” Viktor told him, amusement in his tone.

“I won’t do it.”

“Are you sure?”

“I’ve never done it before.” Yuuri hoped the confession would get the alpha to consider something else. Who wanted a blowjob from an omega who didn’t know how to give one?

Apparently, Viktor did. “Do not worry little one, I will guide you through it.”

Yuuri bit the inside of his cheek. Mostly to keep himself from throwing up his nerves were so strung, and only partly because the idea of being in front of Viktor’s massive cock made him want to drool. Again, Yuuri blamed being so close to his heat.

“No.”

“Oh?” Viktor raised a perfect silver eyebrow at the omega.

Yuuri stood his ground. “No. I won’t do it.”

Viktor shrugged and stood from the bed, almost as if he had been expecting the answer from the beginning. As if he were only testing to see if he could get the omega to do it for something he wanted. “Oh well. No studio then. Come, let us get cleaned up before bed.”

Yuuri could feel tears prick at the corners of his eyes, but held them back through pure force of will. He would just have to practice in the cage.

.

..

.

Two days passed and Yuuri could feel his skin begin to itch. He needed to be gathering items for his nest, but he was stuck in the cage. He had sifted through the items in the current nest at least a dozen times that morning, but _nothing was right._ Well, except for the one large blanket he used to wrap himself up each night, and the true-blue blanket he could see woven on the inside of the circle. Those would be allowed in the new nest; the familiar scent of himself providing extra comfort during the vulnerable period. Plus, the items with the most smell of the omega would aid in the attraction of a mate.

Yuuri shook his head. No, that wasn’t what he wanted.

But, oh, did his omega want it bad.

In fact, Yuuri had been struggling with his omega all morning. And when Viktor had brought Yuuri back to the cage after the two had lunch together, a distressed whine had stopped the alpha from leading him back inside the marble prison.

“What is it, little one?” Viktor asked gently. Yuuri’s omega was practically screaming that the _gentle alpha_ was perfect to ask to join. Yuuri ignored his omega.

He cast a shy glance toward the closet where he had seen the beta maids bring his new nesting materials the day before. He had been thinking of them all morning. “Um, the blankets.”

Viktor nodded as if he understood what Yuuri was trying to say. “Ah, I suppose it is close to that time, isn’t it? What is it now? Three days before your heat?” Yuuri nodded. “You may go. The door, however, will be locked. Cao Bin will be outside. If you need anything, just call for me.”

Yuuri didn’t bother wasting any energy on wondering how Viktor would know Yuuri needed anything as he all but ran toward the closet. His best guest would be that Cao Bin would call him. _There._ Stacked around the island in the center and upon the top, were more blankets than Yuuri knew what to do with. Rushing over, he began first by feeling each of the blankets and judging their worthiness to make it into his nest. He didn’t even correct himself when he began wondering which shades of blue and which fabrics Viktor would like. He told himself the thoughts were just to build a better nest. He didn’t know why he was rationalizing things to himself.

The alpha would not be joining him.

Little by little Yuuri sifted through what he wanted, and carried them in large bulks in his arms toward the open cage, where he placed the materials as far from the bars as he could. He didn’t want anybody touching the materials and getting their scents on them. Yuuri didn’t even allow his alpha sister Mari to touch his nesting materials.

.

..

.

The day before Yuuri was to build his nest, he had picked out all the blankets he needed, the undesirable ones left in the closet nearly folded upon the island. But _still_ there were materials missing. His omega knew what it was, but Yuuri refused to listen. He would be fine with just the blankets, same as every other heat he had ever had.

_But this wasn’t a regular heat. This time there would be an alpha._

_No there wouldn’t._ Yuuri fought hard with his instincts. _Yes,_ Viktor would be around. This was his manor, and his room. But _no,_ the alpha would not be joining his heat. Yuuri would not allow it.  
But again, when Viktor brought Yuuri back to the room after dinner, the distressed whine escaped him. Viktor almost looked amused this time when he asked Yuuri what was wrong, and Yuuri was unable to prevent himself from glancing toward the closet. His omega was screaming within him, and when Viktor allowed him to once more go search for materials, he didn’t stop himself from running toward the small room. He barely registered Viktor laughing behind him.

 _Just a few things,_ he told himself. But nearly everything smelled clean, save for the clothes Viktor had worn the day before, which sat untouched where he had removed them. He had instructed the maids not to enter his room because of Yuuri and his nesting materials. Even though they were betas, and their near lack of pheromones would have had no effect upon the nest. Still, as Yuuri carefully removed the boxier briefs the alpha had worn from the pile, along with the undershirt, he was grateful for the alpha’s attentiveness. On his way back to the cage to place the items he had selected among the others, the omega stopped and glanced at the bed. The comforter hadn’t been washed all week, and Yuuri’s omega itched to add it to the collection. Shaking his head, he knew he wouldn’t get away with taking something so obvious. He would have to make due.

But when Viktor returned that night and undressed unusually close to the cage for the first time, Yuuri barely waited for the alpha to turn his back in the bed before he was grabbing the same items he had from the last outfit, and hiding them away in the piles.

.

..

.

The next morning Yuuri was freezing, and he practically vibrated with the need to build a nice warm nest that would attract the alpha.

Yuuri stopped his thoughts. _Build a nice warm nest that would keep him safe,_ he corrected himself.

But when Viktor entered the cage and reached out a hand, pheromones that screamed _safe_ had Yuuri nuzzling into the wrist as the alpha unhooked the leash. Since his partial drop, Yuuri hadn’t been able to stop himself from associated the scent of the alpha and his calming pheromones with someplace safe, but in that moment, so close to his heat, the omega in Yuuri didn’t care. It just knew it wanted it. And the alpha attached to it.

“You may build your nest upon the bed, little one,” Viktor told him, slowly backing up with his wrist extended as if he were trying to coax the omega from its nest. It worked, because when Yuuri finally processed what the alpha was saying, he was standing outside the nest with his nose pressed into the alpha’s wrist gland.

“Oh!” Yuuri exclaimed, taking a step back. But his omega was pulling him first toward the alpha, which he ignored, and then toward glancing at the large bed. With its perfect hardboard and baseboard that would provide perfect support to the corners of his nest. And the comforter that smelled so _safe_ and _warm_ and so much like the alpha before him that his omega begged him to  
curl up in and never leave. Yuuri licked his lips and turned his eyes full of longing away from the bed. “Are you sure?”

Viktor nodded. “I want you to be as comfortable as can be during your heat. Should I have the maid change out the bedsheets and comforter so they’re fresh?”

“No!” Yuuri blushed as he called out without thinking, Viktor chuckling at him as if he had intended to pull the reaction from the smaller man. “I mean, no, that’s okay. I just…”

Viktor nodded. “I’ll leave you to build your nest. I’ll bring you something to eat for lunch. I want you staying in the room all day today.”

Yuuri nodded, though he had not been asked a question, already gathering materials into his arms and carrying them toward the bed. He didn’t even notice the look of satisfaction upon the alpha’s lips as he left the room, locking the door behind him.

Yuuri spent all morning weaving the blankets together and into the headboard and baseboard, testing the strength of the sides and spending more than a little time rolling around in the center of the comforter, his omega attempting to get the comforting scent upon him, craving to be scented. As he worked, he wove one item of the alpha’s clothing that he had procured into each side of the nest. The smell should be enough, with the bed and comforter, to ward off any alphas that weren’t the one he was trying to attract.

But when Viktor brought him lunch, as he promised, Yuuri whined and pushed the food away. Viktor scowled, but asked what was wrong with the sandwich – he had eaten it just fine on his first day at the manor. It took a while, but Yuuri eventually managed to request non-solid food, and Viktor had the chef send a vegetable soup up with the maid, who left the cart at the door and knocked, allowing Viktor to retrieve the food so she would not enter.

“This is a very lovely nest,” Viktor complimented, Yuuri’s omega internally purring. Or was he verbally purring as well? It didn’t matter, not when the alpha sat on the very edge of the bed – outside the nest – and held a spoonful of soup out to the omega. “I can hardly wait to see how it will be from the inside tomorrow.”

Yuuri allowed the alpha to feed him the soup spoonful by spoonful, but furrowed his brows as he sat up right. Something wasn’t right about this. Yuuri blinked hard, attempting to shove his inner omega from the forefront. “You won’t be joining me for my heat.”

Viktor’s eye twitched – just as it did each time Yuuri said the words – but other than that the words didn’t seem to faze the alpha. “Hush now, little one. You say that now, but tomorrow, you’ll feel much better.”

Yuuri accepted another spoonful of soup. “No.” Yuuri was beginning to get distressed, but the calming scent washed over him once more and had him relaxing, accepting another bite from the alpha.

“There, there,” the alpha hushed, calming pheromones pumping from the wrist gland each time the hand extended to feed the omega another bite. “If when your heat hits you wish for me not to join you, then I won’t.”

Yuuri glanced at the alpha, his inner omega simultaneously crying at the thought of the alpha rejecting him tomorrow, while singing that it knew the alpha was good all along. But the rational part of Yuuri had to be sure. “You won’t?”

The barest of a smile began to curve at Viktor’s lips. “I swear it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In the story - days till heat: Less than 24 hours
> 
> Ahh! The next TWO chapters will cover Yuuri's heat - one from Yuuri's POV and one from Viktor's! I think it will make sense to get those two chapters out on the same day, so it'll probably be a few days before those chapters come out (I want to shoot for the end of the week, but it might not be until the end of the weekend).
> 
> But here we are! We made it! Just in case it needs to be said, the next TWO chapters will be graphic, but I will put warnings at the beginning of both chapters, as well as within as I normally do using BOLDED lettering. But basically the next two chapters are just smut so if you're here for the heart ache and feels and not the smut, feel free to skip :)
> 
> As always, let me know what you guys thought of the chapter! And I will see you all soon for our cinnamon roll's heat! :)


	18. The Heat - Part One

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay guys! As always: if you don't want to read the graphic material (this time smut) it starts at the BOLDED words and ends at the BOLDED words. ALSO, dub-con and non-con come into play between the BOLDED sections, so if smuts your thing but don't want to read the non-con/dub-con this might not be your thing.
> 
> This is Yuuri's chapter and I'm going to go write Viktor's up and get that out tonight as well (as promised)!

Viktor didn’t return during the night after Yuuri made his intentions clear for his heat – something he was grateful for, even if his omega was pouting in the back of his mind. The alpha only appeared the next morning, to which Yuuri didn’t notice until he was stepping out from his shower. His short silver hair dripped water onto his prominent pectorals and slid down further down, rolling over hardened abs before being absorbed into the towel wrapped tightly around his waist. Yuuri’s gaze only lingered on the ~~delicious~~ V shape of the alphas hips for a moment. Or a few moments.

But all he asked was if Yuuri needed anything and if the omega had changed his mind yet about Viktor joining for his heat. Yuuri plainly said that he hadn’t changed his mind, and that he would _not_ be changing his mind in the future and Viktor had shrugged on his way to change in the closet.

Yuuri shivered as he felt the pre-heat under his skin, itching to come forth. He hated the feeling, and didn’t know of any omega who _enjoyed_ the contradictory feelings of being in heat. While his skin and bones felt cold during pre-heat, the closer he got to the full heat the more he would feel the fire coursing through his veins. It would slowly heat him from the inside out, until all that heat came bursting forward in the form of pleasure, and his body would begin to cool once more, prompting him to burrow further into his nest as he sought warmth and slumber. Usually, one orgasm would be enough to sate a heat for two or three hours. Unfortunately, Yuuri’s high stamina resulted in more active heats, demanding he pull two, three, sometimes even four or five orgasms from his body before he was allowed rest. But that also meant he usually slept for two to four hours between waves.

The longer the morning went on the more Yuuri could feel the fire building within him, and with it the strength of his omega. By the time lunch would be nearing, Yuuri had pulled the clothes he was wearing from his body, the pants and boxer briefs too tight on his skin, and the once amazingly soft sweater feeling like sandpaper against his sensitive nipples. The collar and cuffs rubbed against his glands painfully, and Yuuri laid on his back while he clawed at the offending accessories. It was only after several minutes of him panting from his heat and whining over being unable to remove the items did he hear the door open. If it hadn’t been his heat, Yuuri would have been embarrassed to be caught in such a position.

“What’s wrong little one?”

Yuuri raised his head to look at who had spoken – Viktor, standing at the end of the bed. His eyes roved over Yuuri’s body as if he were a buffet on display just for the alpha. Yuuri didn’t care – all he cared about in that moment was getting the items from his skin for some relief. He didn’t even care that he clearly had an erection.

“Viktor,” Yuuri whined. “Please.”

A smile began spreading across Viktor’s face. “Yes, little one?”

“Please,” Yuuri asked again. “The collar. The cuffs. They hurt.”

The smile didn’t leave the alpha’s face. “I can’t do that.”

Yuuri felt his insides begin to clench, desperate to be filled. A whine fell from his lips. “Why-”

“Because you don’t want me to join you, little one,” Viktor explained, as if it were obvious. “I can’t risk something happening should I take them off.”

Yuuri could feel his omega clawing right under his skin, begging to be let out and take over for his heat, but Yuuri pushed the instinct back. But the smell of the alpha seemed to be getting stronger by the second, and Yuuri barely managed to move his mouth to form words, to ask Viktor to reconsider, but all that came from him was another whine in protest.

“Shh, my Yuuri,” Viktor soothed.

Yuuri just tossed his head back and forth on the bed in protest. The cuffs were pressing against his glands, suppressing the overflow of pheromones that wanted to be released ~~to attract a mate,~~ creating a buildup within his system that reminded him of when he danced for too long and his feet would beg for a rest. His mating gland swelled under the collar, rubbing painfully and allowing no relief when the omega turned the collar. He needed it off.

_He needed it off. He needed it off. He needed it off._

He was frantically clawing at the collar, distressed pheromones just barely managing to escape as he cried out his displeasure. Mind foggy with a combination of the heat and distress, Yuuri couldn’t latch onto any thought except _getting that collar away from his gland._

All at once Yuuri was melting into the mattress, arms going slack beside him. The combined scents of _safe_ and _aroused alpha_ washing over him like a wave. Pupils blown heavy with desire and distress turned toward the end of the bed where the alpha waited patiently ~~wearing too many clothes.~~ The omega reached out with both hands, making small grabbing motions. _This alpha would help him. This alpha had helped him before. Saved him from bad alphas._

“All you need is ask,” the alpha told him.

“Please,” Yuuri whined.

“Say it.”

“Help me.”

The alpha raised an eyebrow at him. “What do you want help with?”

Yuuri gave a needy, high-pitched whine.

**_“Tell me what you want me to help with.”_**

Yuuri could practically _feel_ the alpha command in those words. And while un-bonded the words could not _force_ him to do anything, the omega did feel a strong desire to comply. “Heat,” he panted. “Please, alpha, help with heat.”

The smell of the alphas desire seemed to double as he began removing piece after piece of his suit. As the pieces dropped to the floor the omega barely managed to suppress a whine over the lost items – _would have worked well into the nest._ When the alpha removed his pants, Yuuri felt slick slide from within him onto the comforter at the sight of the alpha’s fully erect member. He practically drooled, throat working to swallow as he imagined trying to fit it in his mouth.

“Well,” the alpha was speaking. “Since you asked so nicely.”

A key shined in the alpha’s hand as he entered the nest and crawled over the omega. Yuuri’s hands were immediately running across the firm chest, but the alpha moved first one hand to undo the cuff, and then the other. A flood of built-up pheromones released from the glands, the scent of _omega in heat_ and _horny_ filling the nest to mingle with the scent of the alpha. Yuuri moaned, rubbing his wrists against the alpha’s chest and neck as the alpha chuckled.

“Does that feel good little one?” he asked, tossing the cuffs from the nest.

_Good._

Yuuri hurried to turn his head to the side, hoping to entice the alpha into removing the collar. It worked, because the alpha carefully unlocked the collar and tossed it from the nest. Yuuri released a relieved sigh as the item allowed his bonding gland to be free.

His relieved sigh quickly turned to a moan as he felt the alpha lick a wet stripe across the gland, causing the omega to stretch his neck for better access while his hips bucked into the air. The omega’s own small member pulsed painfully with the need for attention, but the alpha wasn’t touching him. The alpha’s lips worked against his neck, sucking and nipping as he finally made his way down the omega’s body. The omega’s nipples were hard and dark pink as they stretched for contact as the alpha licked closer and closer to the nubs. Taking one in his mouth, the alpha sucked harshly. Yuuri’s head tilted back as he released a strangled moan, _finally having some contact_ upon his heated flesh. He could feel the alpha smirk against his chest as he moved to the other nub.

“Sensitive little one, aren’t you?” he teased, but Yuuri only managed to moan as the alpha’s wet tongue circled around the sensitive peak. “Where else are you sensitive?”

Yuuri’s hips bucked into nothing as the alpha continued his path down the omega’s body, licking and nipping any place he wished. He stopped and bit into the soft flesh of the hips, pulling another whine from the omega as he wiggled around. The alpha licked the small bite mark and continued down, hopefully to the omega’s aching cock but bypassed the member as he left another bite into the inside thigh.

Yuuri gasped and attempted to raise his hips but the alpha held him down with powerful hands. The fire in Yuuri’s veins was unbearable and he needed release as he made desperate cries in his throat. The alpha chuckled, and without warning took all of Yuuri into his mouth, pulling a startled cry of pleasure from the omega. As the warm, wet heat of the alpha’s mouth swallowed him whole, Yuuri had never been more grateful that male omegas had small cocks. One hand fisted the comforter of the nest while the other reached down and tangled itself into silver locks, hips desperately trying to buck further into the alpha. Yuuri was already on edge before the alpha began to suck, and it only took a few moments before the omega was spilling down the alpha’s throat with a cry. The alpha sucked him through his orgasm, only pulling away when he was sure Yuuri was wrung dry.

“Delicious, my Yuuri,” the alpha said, the words stirring the omega’s member back to life. “Time for dessert.”

Yuuri was practically putty as the alpha flipped him and pulled his hips into the air, settling the omega on his knees with his face in the nest. There was no moment of rest as he felt the alpha spread his cheeks and press his face between them, the wet muscle of his tongue running flat over the hole. He felt a new wave of slick be produced and practically cried when he felt the alpha sucking upon his entrance, tongue snaking forward the probe the ring of muscles, encouraging more slick to rush forward. Yuuri began to shake, the alpha’s tongue pushing past his entrance several times. That’s how Yuuri thought he was going to reach his second orgasm, but he was wrong as the alpha removed his mouth with a satisfied _ahh._

The alpha growled his appreciation, “You’re absolutely divine, my Yuuri. I can’t wait to have you.”

The omega wiggled his hips, desperate for another release. “Please, alpha. Need.”

“Patience little one,” the alpha cooed. “If we want to continue having fun during your heat, then I’ll need to prepare you properly first.” The alpha bit into the fleshly globe of the omega’s rear, pulling another whine from deep in his throat. “I want you _destroyed_ before I fuck you. Wet and begging in a puddle of your own cum when I allow you to finally feel true pleasure upon my cock.”

Yuuri moaned at just the alpha’s words, the monster of a cock rubbing against Yuuri’s thigh as if to remind him of the size. _As if he could forget something the size of his forearm._ Still, Yuuri moaned freely as the alpha circled a single finger around Yuuri’s entrance, pushing gently upon the ring but not enough to penetrate. He was practically crying, pushing his hips back to try and get the alpha to fill him with _anything_ when he finally pushed past the ring of muscles. The moan Yuuri released was low and deep in his chest as he bit into the comforter, hips attempting to push back faster to be filled sooner, but the alpha used his other hand to hold the omega in place.

“Oh, my Yuuri. You’re so tight,” the light tone in the alpha’s voice letting him know he was being praised. “I’m so glad you saved yourself for me. I think I would have had to kill any other alpha who got to see this sight before them. Absolutely perfect.”

Yuuri felt his hole constrict at the praise, pleasure shooting through the omega’s system as a moan pushed itself through his lips. He could practically hear the smirk upon the alpha’s lips as he spoke, a second finger joining the first slowly.

“Do you like that, little one? Do you like hearing how good you are for me? How you’re stretching so well, and how your slick tasted better than any meal I’ve ever had?” Yuuri was moaning at the words, hole continuously clenching around the fingers. “Because it’s true. You’re doing so well for me.”

Yuuri could feel the fingers pushing into him, and slowly pulling out as they dragged against his inside walls, fingers curling in a new position each time they pushed back inside, deeper than Yuuri had ever been able to reach on his own. The alpha’s fingers were long and strong, stroking places Yuuri hadn’t even been sure he had. And he certainly didn’t know he had a pleasure powerhouse within him until the alpha grazed over it.

_“Ahh!”_ Yuuri cried, hips bucking harshly back into the alpha’s fingers as small stars danced in the omega’s vision. His cock hung painfully between his legs, dribbling pre-cum onto the bed beneath him.

He heard the smirk in the alpha’s voice as he whispered, _“There you are.”_

The alpha set to attacking that single spot within the omega, memorizing the spot as Yuuri cried out with pleasure as he was held in place. There was no pause in the alpha’s ministrations upon the spot within him. It only took about another minute before Yuuri was finishing a second time, the clear liquid of sterile cum mixing with the small puddle of slick upon the sheets as the alpha milked him dry. Yuuri was panting, but didn’t dare move as the alpha slowly removed his fingers from Yuuri’s hole as it continued to spasm. Yuuri could hear the alpha sucking the slick from his fingers, the sound only serving to stir the omega back to life.

“You’re doing so well,” the alpha praised, the omega moaning and pulling a chuckle from the alpha behind him. “And look! You’re still ready for more! So good for me. Made just for me my sweet little omega.” Yuuri could feel the alpha rubbing his length through Yuuri’s cheeks with a pleased sigh. “I knew you were the one. When I saw you on that stage, looking like sex made flesh, I knew you would be the perfect omega for my inner alpha. Now look at you. So pretty beneath me as you wait for my cock. Would you like that, my perfect little omega? Do you want my cock?”

Yuuri moaned and nodded into the nest, hips pushing back ever so slightly to try and entice the alpha. “Yes, alpha, please.”

“Please, what?” the alpha asked, continuing to _just rub his massive cock between his cheeks why wouldn’t he just put it in already._

“Alpha,” the omega whined, drawing out the last A in desperation. “So empty.”

“What do you want?”

“Fill.” Yuuri’s fists clenched in the comforter and arching his back in a way his instincts told him was the most attractive.

“Fill you with what? I need to hear you say it.” Yuuri could hear the triumph in the alpha’s voice, even before Yuuri opened his mouth.

“Please, alpha, fill me with your thick alpha cock!” Yuuri cried out.

“Of course, my Yuuri.”

The pressure at Yuuri’s rear increased as he felt the fat head of the alpha’s member press against his entrance. A little more force, and the omega could feel the head pop through the ring of muscles as he cried out, the alpha whispering a proud _there we go_ as he began to push further in. Every time Yuuri thought the alpha was going to have bottomed out, more thick sex pushed its way inside. The stretch was impossible, yet his body accommodated, stretching and clenching around the alpha as he _finally_ bottomed out, his thighs pressing against the back of Yuuri’s as he paused.

The alpha moaned, “You’re so tight little one. Even better than I’ve imagined. Never want to leave you.” The omega liked that idea, and let out a needy moan as he wiggled his hips. “Careful, take a moment to adjust. We have plenty of time.”

The fire coursing through the omega’s system didn’t agree as he pulled forward, taking the first few inches of the alpha from him before slamming his hips backwards, forcing moans from both of them. The alpha huffed a laugh behind him, both hands finding their way to the omega’s hips as he slowly began to pull back.

“So eager, little one,” the alpha teased, before slamming back to the hilt.

_“Yes!”_ the omega cried, the burn of being stretched so fully pleasing him more than any other heat. _Why hadn’t he found this alpha sooner?_

The pace was brutal, Yuuri crying out each time the alpha slammed his hips back into his tight hole. With each push and pull the head of the alpha’s member dragged over that sensitive spot within him, causing him to clench around the alpha. Bruises were sure to appear on his hips, but Yuuri didn’t care, not when everything felt so right and full. A third orgasm was pulled from the omega without warning, his hole fluttering around the alpha within him as best it could with the punishing pace. But the alpha didn’t stop, only words of praise of _“such a good omega, cumming for me again”_ were heard. Yuuri didn’t think he could get hard another time, but with each pull of the alpha over that spot, the omega’s own cock stirred back to life. The alpha continued, not letting up as Yuuri’s legs began to shake.

The alpha pulled Yuuri to be kneeling in the nest without losing his pace as he pounded into the omega again and again. He kissed the back of the omegas neck, then sucked on the bonding gland on each side of the omega’s neck. Yuuri felt himself clench each time the alpha gently ran his teeth over the glands, almost as if the alpha was making a decision. The omega panicked, worried the alpha wouldn’t bond him. _That he wasn’t a good enough omega for such a good alpha._

But it was only a few deep thrusts more when the omega felt the alpha’s knot beginning to catch onto his rim, and he moaned louder, attempting to grind back into the knot. The alpha growled in approval, and when the knot finally popped within the omega and would not pull out, locking the two together, the alpha tangled his hand into Yuuri’s hair and wrenched his head to the right. Without warning, the alpha sunk his teeth deep into the red bonding gland on the omega’s left as he spilled within, painting the inside of Yuuri’s red walls white with cum. The feeling of the alpha’s scolding hot cum sloshing within him pulling Yuuri over the edge as he came a fourth time.

**The feel of the alpha’s teeth on his gland was euphoric.** The highest high he had ever felt from any orgasm ever. If anyone asked him to describe the feeling, he would have to tell them _nirvana._ The omega felt he would never need or want for anything again as he felt the possessive pheromones from the alpha seep into his system and under his skin. He could feel his own pheromones flooding from the gland – first pleasure then complete happiness. Deep rumbles began in the alpha’s chest as he hugged the omega closer, releasing the gland and nursing the wound with his tongue as he settled the bonded pair on their sides, knot still holding them in place.

The feeling of being safe within his alpha’s arms pulled the omega into a peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our poor Yuuri T.T I mean we all saw it coming since the tag has been there since the beginning, but it's still sad for him T.T
> 
> Also, I know this only covered their first time and heats in this AU last for three days, but after Viktor's chapter it will pick up at the end of Yuuri's heat.


	19. The Heat - Part Two

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the same chapter as the last, but from Viktor's POV! I have to say, I always enjoy the views of heats from the alpha more, so I feel better about this chapter than I did the last, so I hope you guys like it!
> 
> AGAIN: graphic depictions of sex start at the BOLDED words and end with the BOLDED words. If you're not here for that, just skip it :)

Viktor stayed up working in his office through the night, one earbud in as his phone sat on his desk with the audio from his Yuuri’s collar playing. In his mind, he knew that the heat wouldn’t start until mid-day the next day, or even in the evening. But Viktor’s alpha had him on alert, reminding him that an un-bonded omega was nesting on his bed. Viktor’s alpha was preening inside him as he listened to the soft breathing of his intended mate.

All that work playing the part of a good alpha was finally paying off. Because tomorrow, Viktor would be bonding with the omega, one way or another. He just had to convince the omega that it was his idea.

By the next morning Viktor was confident he had done enough work to leave Yakov in charge of the manor for the next three days. Standing, Viktor rolled his shoulders out before removing his earbud and pocketing his phone. His Yuuri had barely made a sound during the night, only occasionally turning with the rustle of blankets. Viktor had never seen an omega’s heat nest before, but his alpha was prideful of his little omega nonetheless. It appeared sturdy, using the headboard and baseboard of the bed to secure the four corners of the nest tightly in case their activities within the nest got out of hand. Which Viktor hoped they would.

Between stacks of papers Viktor had fantasized about what kind of lay his Yuuri would be. In the past, Viktor had many lovers – alpha and beta males and females, even the occasional female omega. But he knew that his Yuuri would be different from all the rest. Yes, his Yuuri would be special. His feisty behavior that came through on the rare occasion when the omega was feeling brave had Viktor thinking that his omega would be complacent in the bedroom – moldable and eager to please. He hoped so, because Viktor needed to be the dominant alpha in all aspects of his life – that included the bedroom. But, if his Yuuri wanted to take charge on occasion, Viktor was sure he could hold his instincts back and allow the little omega his fun.

Ignoring the two new guards Viktor had placed outside the bedroom – two burly betas who would not be tempted by the smell of an omega in heat – Viktor unlocked the door and entered, quickly closing and locking the door. He barely managed to suppress a moan at the overwhelming scent of cherry blossoms. The smell of cinnamon was nearly non-existent under the thick cloud of omega in heat. It wouldn’t be long.

But his Yuuri was still slumbering soundly in the bed, so Viktor made a straight line for the bathroom. He would take his shower and get ready for the day, before asking his omega if he needed anything – as Yakov suggested he do. Just as he was finishing, he heard a rustle from the bedroom. Smirking, Viktor skipped drying his hair and instead wrapped the towel low around his waist. When he strode into the bedroom, he pushed his hair off to the side, allowing a few water droplets to fall from the wet hair onto his chest. A quick flex of his muscles had the water droplets traveling down his frame and into the towel. He watched as the omega’s eyes traced the path of the water droplets, settling into a linger at the alpha’s waist.

Oh, yes, getting his Yuuri to crumble would be just as easy as he planned.

“It looks like you still have a while before your heat sets in; did you need anything? Thought any more about me joining you?” the alpha asked, playing his part perfectly.

Determination set in his Yuuri’s gaze as he shook his head, “No, I haven’t changed my mind and I _won’t_ be changing my mind. Thank you.”

Viktor shrugged, having expected as such from the little omega. Donning one of his many suits, Viktor made his way back toward his office, popping an earphone in while he did. It was during lunch that Viktor first suspected his Yuuri’s heat was nearly upon him. A small whine sounded in his ear that if Viktor had been speaking with someone at that moment he would have missed. He had almost thought he had imagined the sound it was silent for so long, but a few moments later another came through the device. A slow smile crept across the alpha’s features as he continued his meal, listening to what was sure to be his new favorite song. By the time his meal had finished, Viktor could hear the sound of his Yuuri’s frantic panting join his whines. It was time to check on his dear omega.

As silently as he could, Viktor entered the bedroom and locked the door behind him, fiddling with the other key in his pocket. Viktor had expected to see his Yuuri in a similar position to when he had last left the little one, but was pleasantly surprised at the sight before him. His Yuuri had removed all his clothes and placed them at the foot of the nest, and was lying on his back as he clawed frantically at the cuffs upon his wrist.

Viktor walked closer to the bed, eyes dilating as he took in the sight. His omega was beautiful. Skin slightly flushed from the heat the omega’s tiny cock stood proud as it bobbed with his movements, the tip glistening with pre-cum. His Yuuri was lean and fit – something he had noticed when he first saw him in the cage at the auction – with powerful thighs and wide hips that even Viktor’s alpha wanted to worship. Perhaps another time, if his omega was good, he would reward the little one by worshiping all the places on his body that Viktor wanted. But that was an idea that would have to be saved for another time – a special occasion.

“What’s wrong little one?” Viktor asked in the calmest voice he could muster.

When cinnamon eyes met his own, Viktor felt all the blood rush straight to his cock. The member throbbed painfully in his dress pants, and had to resist the urge to readjust. His Yuuri panted with his mouth open, lips glistening with saliva and desperation swimming in the pools of his eyes. But when he _spoke._ Well, Viktor almost jumped straight into the nest.

“Viktor,” his Yuuri whined. “Please.”

_Already begging and the alpha wasn’t even in the nest yet._ Viktor could feel the smile pulling at his lips. “Yes, little one?”

“Please – the collar. The cuffs. They hurt.”

His Yuuri was making this too easy. Viktor knew leaving the cuffs and collar on would lead to this, which was why he had sworn he wouldn’t join the omega for his heat if he didn’t wish. Soon, the omega would be begging for the alpha to join. Slowly, Viktor began releasing a stream of his pheromones. The calming ones he had gotten the little thing hooked on, with the barest hint of the alpha’s arousal. Wouldn’t want the little one thinking he was undesirable. Because if given the chance, Viktor would eat him whole.

“I can’t do that.”

The omega whined and shifted on the bed. “Why-?”

Viktor cut the omega off before he could get too far, “Because you don’t want me to join you, little one. I can’t risk something happening should I take them off.”

Too easy. Viktor could already see the conflict warring within the omega through his eyes, and in the way he worried his bottom lip. Continuing the release of pheromones, Viktor could see the exact moment when his Yuuri caught the scent. His breath hitched and his adorable little cock twitched in the air, the omega’s mouth gaping like a fish for several moments before a soft whine forced its way through the beautiful lips.

Viktor shushed his omega, releasing the calming pheromones a little stronger with the scent of his arousal, and the omega began tossing his head from side to side. His Yuuri was clawing at the collar with renewed determination as the scent of distressed omega settled into the air. Viktor’s alpha was going wild within him, demanding he comfort the distressed omega in heat in his bed, but Viktor pushed him back. _He almost had his Yuuri where he wanted him._

“All you need is ask,” Viktor urged, increasing the amount of pheromones to the point he was positive the omega could smell nothing else. When his omega next turned his eyes to him, Viktor could see the desire dancing with the distress. _Perfect._

“Please,” the omega whined.

“Say it.”

“Help me.”

Viktor raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected the omega to ask for _help,_ but it would do just fine. “What do you want help with?”

The omega whined, and Viktor felt the smirk force one side of his mouth up. _I’ve got you._

**“Tell me what you want me to help with,”** Viktor put the subtle edge of the alpha command into his tone. He knew without a bond he couldn’t force his omega to do anything – yet – but with how close his Yuuri was to his pure omega side, the subtle command would be all that was needed to push him over the edge.

“Please,” he panted. “Please, alpha, help with heat.”

Viktor didn’t even have to guess his expression, because he could feel the look of complete triumph radiating from every part of him as he began undressing. His omega’s eyes ran over his form and followed the clothes to the floor, until Viktor was completely naked. And then his precious omega couldn’t stop staring at the alpha’s cock. Viktor’s alpha swelled with pride as the omega licked his lips. He knew that even for an alpha he was large, and Viktor couldn’t wait to finally have a partner who could take all of him. Because his Yuuri would take all of him.

“Well, since you asked so nicely,” Viktor subtly reminded the omega that he had asked the alpha to join him as he carefully climbed into the nest. Even Viktor knew that disturbing a nest could throw an omega into hysterics, and that would be a major buzzkill.

He unlocked the cuffs first, and was nearly floored by how strong and sudden the scent of _horny omega in heat_ hit him in the face. But the sigh of relief that came from his omega’s lips didn’t do nearly as much for Viktor as the _sinful moan that escaped his lips_ as he began scenting Viktor, rubbing his wrists anywhere he could reach. Viktor tossed the cuffs from the nest.

“Does that feel good little one?” he asked, smiling to himself as the omega nodded his head enthusiastically.

The omega quickly turned his head to the side, and Viktor set to removing the collar. Once he had, the item joined the cuffs on the floor outside the nest, and a small sigh of relief came from his omega. But the sight of the red bonding glands had Viktor growling in appreciation and bending over the omega to lick and suck the offering. Viktor felt his cock twitch at the sound of the omega’s throaty moan as he began sucking upon the gland, eager to satisfy his primal instinct to _mate_ and _bond,_ but not wanting to do it too soon. So, he worked his way across the omega’s neck, licking and sucking small purple marks into the skin on his way toward his omega’s chest. His omega’s nipples were flushed and erect when he arrived, and wasted no time in sucking one into his mouth. A strangled moan escaped the omega when he did, the body beneath him rising in an attempt to entice Viktor into doing more. Of course he would. Viktor was a thorough lover.  
“Sensitive little one, aren’t you?” he teased, because never in all of Viktor’s lovers had he seen such a strong reaction from something so small. He moved to the other and began circling the peak with his tongue, enjoying the small reactions and moans he was pulling from his mate-to-be. “Where else are you sensitive?”

Viktor could feel his omega bucking his hips as he continued down his body, but Viktor refused to touch him. Not yet, anyway. He stopped at the fleshy hips he couldn’t resist worshiping for a moment, licking and giving small bites that had the omega wiggling and whining with need beneath him. Smiling to himself, Viktor passed the leaking member and bit into a muscular thigh, pulling both a whine and a moan from his Yuuri. Placing both his hands upon his Yuuri’s hips, he held the omega in place as he moved back up, and took the omega into his mouth in one go.

Normally, Viktor wasn’t one to provide this service to his male lovers, but the sight of his Yuuri had him practically _drooling_ with the desire to please. He wanted to see his omega come apart in every way he could think of, and this was where his alpha wanted to start. Blue eyes watched the omega carefully as he tangled his fingers in silver hair and attempted to fuck up into the alpha’s mouth. But Viktor held him down, sucking and licking upon the member until he saw the abdominal muscles of his omega twitch. He knew his Yuuri was at the edge, so he once more took him into his mouth and allowed his Yuuri to finish within his mouth. A first for the alpha. The taste alone of his Yuuri had the alpha wanting seconds, but the pulsing of his own cock had him pulling off and licking his lips.

“Delicious, my Yuuri.” He noticed the twitch of the omega’s cock as it quickly came back for life, and gave a smirk. “Time for dessert.”

His Yuuri was easy to turn onto his stomach and position how he wanted, and Viktor gave an approving hum in his chest. Viktor spread his omega’s cheeks, and the sight of the entrance, clenching, glistening, and dripping slick had him diving face first into his feast. And what a feast it was! Each lick or suck of the entrance was like an aphrodisiac to the alpha, desperate for more as if he were a dying man and his Yuuri’s slick the elixir of life. It might have been, for all Viktor was convinced.

His Yuuri was crying out with pleasure before him, legs shaking as Viktor pushed his tongue further into the awaiting cavern in search of more. But he could hear his Yuuri getting close to the edge again, and he still had more he needed to do before Viktor could take his own pleasure. So, he pulled himself from the most delicious meal he had ever eaten, and growled, “You’re absolutely divine, my Yuuri. I can’t wait to have you.”

His Yuuri moaned at the words, and Viktor watched the entrance clench around nothing, more slick gushing through the ring that the alpha barely managed to avoid bending to collect on his tongue. “Please, alpha. Need.”

“Patience little one. If we want to continue having fun during your heat, then I’ll need to prepare you properly first.” Viktor bent and gave a warning nip to the omega’s rear, and was rewarded with another whine. “I want you _destroyed_ before I fuck you. Wet and begging in a puddle of your own cum when I allow you to finally feel true pleasure upon my cock.”

His omega moaned loudly at the words, and Viktor pressed the pad of his middle finger against the tight muscle that was the entrance of his omega. He pushed gently, but didn’t enter, causing the omega to cry out with need as he attempted to push his way back onto the alpha’s hand. Viktor chuckled deep in his throat and placed his free hand upon the omega’s bottom, holding him in place so he couldn’t retreat any further back. When Viktor gave the omega what he wanted and pushed his long, slender digit into the cavern, he almost moaned along with the omega, who bit the comforter before him. It was so _hot and wet and warm_ inside that Viktor wasn’t confident he wouldn’t immediately cum when it came to the main event.

“Oh, my Yuuri. You’re so tight,” Viktor praised. “I’m so glad you saved yourself for me. I think I would have had to kill any other alpha who got to see this sight before them. Absolutely perfect.”

The omega’s walls clenched around the alpha’s finger as he moaned into the comforter of the bed. _Oh, so that’s it._ Viktor smirked as he came to the conclusion, putting together the pieces he had been collection during his pleasuring of his intended mate. Viktor pushed in a second finger along with the first.

“Do you like that, little one? Do you like hearing how good you are for me? How you’re stretching so well, and how your slick tasted better than any meal I’ve ever had?” Yuuri was moaning at the words, hole continuously clenching around the fingers. “Because it’s true. You’re doing so well for me.” _Praise kink._ His darling omega liked to be praised. How cute.

His omega was a moaning mess as Viktor continued to praise him, dragging his fingers in and out of the entrance in search of the omega’s prostate. He knew in male omegas, the prostate was extra sensitive, and would bring unimaginable pleasures. The perfect place to bring his omega crashing down with pleasure. He knew he had found it, because his omega cried the loudest and most surprised Viktor had heard from the male as he threw his head back, hole fluttering around his fingers. A steady stream of pre-cum was dribbling onto the comforter beneath the omega, and Viktor could feel his victory.

_“There you are.”_

Viktor was unrelenting as he massaged the bundle of nerves within his omega, determined to achieve a new person best in getting a lover to finish. It was less than a minute before his Yuuri was screaming as he came, the sterile cum of the omega slashing upon the comforter as Viktor milked him for all he was worth. His Yuuri was panting as Viktor pulled his fingers from the still fluttering entrance. Not willing to waste the prize, Viktor sucked the slick from his fingers and he took in the sight before him. Eyes squeezed shut and face flushed, his omega had stayed in the position Viktor had left him. _Like a good omega._

“You’re doing so well,” Viktor praised, chuckling as the omega moaned and his cock twitched. “And look! You’re still ready for more! So good for me. Made just for me my sweet little omega.” Viktor grabbed his own cock, feeling the familiar weight in his hand as he spread his omega once more, guided the member between the cheeks to coat with slick to better ease the penetration. “I knew you were the one. When I saw you on that stage, looking like sex made flesh, I knew you would be the perfect omega for my inner alpha. Now look you. So pretty beneath me as you wait for my cock. Would you like that, my perfect little omega? Do you want my cock?” Viktor briefly wondered if, based on the moans the omega was giving, if he could get the little one to cum from praise alone. He filed the thought away.

“Yes, alpha, please.”

“Please, what?” Viktor asked, rubbing the head of his cock between the cheeks to gather more slick. Almost ready.

“Alpha,” his omega whined. “So empty.”

“What do you want?”

“Fill,” his omega begged. So good for him.

“Fill you with what? I need to hear you say it.” Viktor had the omega right where he wanted him as he lined himself up. He was ready. Now, he just wanted to hear his Yuuri say it.

“Please, alpha, fill me with your thick alpha cock!” his Yuuri all but screamed into the bedroom.

The widest smile Viktor thought he had ever done crossed his face at the words. He wasn’t expecting that much, but now that he knew he could get his innocent omega to say such things…another thought filed away for later. “Of course, my Yuuri.”

And Viktor pushed in. The ring of muscles didn’t give immediately, and he had to use more force of his hips than he was used to, but eventually the entrance gave way to allow the large head of his member inside. And _fuck,_ if that’s just how the head of him felt inside, Viktor couldn’t wait to be all the way. Little by little he watched in fascination as the omega took his member with the occasional wiggle of his hips. Viktor had never managed to fit completely within a lover before – the women didn’t have enough space, and the men couldn’t handle the stretch of the full thing. But his Yuuri was taking all of him, and Viktor had to stop and appreciate the view once he was bottomed out.

Viktor moaned, “You’re so tight little one. Even better than I’ve imagined. Never want to leave you.” His Yuuri moaned at the words and began wiggling his hips. “Careful, take a moment to adjust. We have plenty of time.” Now that Viktor had an omega who could handle all of him, he wasn’t keen on damaging him. But when his Yuuri pulled several inches off Viktor’s cock and slammed himself backwards with a moan, Viktor joined him before huffing out a laugh, settling his hands upon plush hips. “So eager, little one.”

_“Yes!”_

The cries of his omega spurred him on further, chasing his own release. The physical embodiment of pure Eros beneath him babbled mindlessly in two different languages between cries of pleasure, causing Viktor to tighten his grip. Without so much as a warning his omega was cumming a third time, and Viktor couldn’t help but smirk at his work. “Such a good omega, cumming for me again,” he praised, unsurprised when the omega’s small, spent cock stirred to life once more.

But Viktor didn’t stop as he continued to pound into the smaller man, pulling more cries of pleasure as he did. Bending over, he pulled the omega to be kneeling in the nest, back pressed against his chest as he kissed the back of his neck. He hadn’t decided which side of the omega he wanted to mark, so he set to work kissing, sucking, and nipping upon both glands. He thought he enjoyed the sounds the omega made with the right gland, but when he switched to the left he knew it was the one. His omega shuddered when his teeth grazed the gland, and his walls clamped harder around the alpha’s member within him. He wanted his bonding mark to be associated with pleasure for the omega, and he would make sure it would always.

Viktor could feel his knot swelling at the base of his cock, and with renewed vigor chased his orgasm faster. His omega moaned and ground back into the knot, pulling a moan from Viktor. Finally, his knot popped within his omega, locking the two in place as it swelled before releasing spurts of hot seed into the other. High from his orgasm as he rode it out, he tangled his fist into dark locks and he pulled the omega’s head to the right, and sunk his teeth into the bonding gland at the omega’s left. With one last strangled cry, Viktor’s omega came for the fourth time. 

Viktor’s alpha had never felt so proud.

**Viktor was slow to pull his teeth from the gland, but when he did the mark left over was beautiful.** A perfect indentation of his teeth budded with beautiful blood upon the omega’s neck, which Viktor eagerly licked clean, intent to do everything he could to ensure his bond took. As he settled them on their sides, he didn’t suppress the pleased ruble that formed in his chest. As he brushed the hair back from his omega’s face, Viktor couldn’t help the feeling of pride that swelled within him. He would keep his mate safe with him forever, right there in his manor. And eventually, Viktor would fill his new mate with pups. The thought of his Yuuri round and smiling as he caressed his belly full of pups had Viktor tightening his hold around the omega.

His perfect, stunning Yuuri.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eee! I hope you all enjoyed these last two chapters! :)
> 
> I have plans for the next few chapters, but I would love to hear what you guys have thought up until now and what you guys would like to see from the story! :)


	20. The Bonded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri, the day after his heat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahh! I know! I'm so sorry! I didn't post last week because I actually had the flu T.T there were a few times I thought of writing, but being sick makes your brain icky, and I didn't want to compromise the quality of my writing just to get a chapter out. But here it is! I'll work on more chapters this week! And if you happen to be also following my Eros Tattoo series made up of smutty one-shots, I updated one of those today as well :)
> 
> But I do promise I read all of your comments on what you would like to see from the series, and I am taking them all into account! :)

Yuuri woke with a groan. His whole body was aching, but he no longer had the burning itch under his skin – a small comfort. His heat was over. He rolled over in the empty nest and frowned. Empty nest? The uneasy and feeling of sadness didn’t make sense until he remembered.

Viktor had bonded him.

He had asked Viktor to join him for his heat.

_This was his fault._

Panic set in quickly and Yuuri sat up, scanning his surroundings to make sure the alpha wasn’t near. He needed to gather his bearings and catch his thoughts. Yuuri clutched his hands to his chest, his breathes coming quickly as he heard footsteps thundering down the hallway. The door’s lock clicked seconds before it was thrown open, a frantic Viktor’s eyes zeroing in on Yuuri in the nest.

“Yuuri!” the alpha rushed up to him, stopping at the edge of the bed as his eyes racked over Yuuri’s form, seeming to check for anything that could be wrong. “I felt your distress! I’m so sorry little one, I shouldn’t have left you alone so soon after your heat. You must have been so worried. May I enter your nest?”

Yuuri wanted to say no, to tell the alpha his presence was the reason he was panicking, but he didn’t. He nodded his head, signaling the alpha could enter. Because while he had begun to panic at the thought of being bonded – of forever being tied to the Pakhan of Russia – his omega was crooning, reaching out for the comfort of their alpha. As soon as Viktor crawled onto the bed and into the nest, he was pulling Yuuri into his arms so the omega’s back was to his chest. The calming scent of protective alpha pheromones surrounding them both. Yuuri let out a confused whine, instinct and reason battling within him.

“Shh, there, there my Yuuri. Your alpha is here,” Viktor crooned, the soft rumbling in his chest reverberating into Yuuri in a soothing sensation. He allowed the alpha to comfort him. If his mind was clear, he could sort out what was him and what was his omega. “I’m sorry little one. I stepped out for only a moment, and I thought for sure I would be back before you woke. You must have realized my absence, even in your sleep. Such a good omega.”

Yuuri was not unpacking that right now, so he settled for turning the conversation away from him as he looked around the room. “Why did you step out?”

Yuuri could feel the happiness at the bond mark on his neck, instantly recognizing the feeling as Viktor’s emotion rather than his, but he couldn’t stop the small flicker of happiness that began in his own chest at the feeling. It was a strange sensation – feeling an emotion and knowing it wasn’t his. He wondered how it worked for Viktor, since the alpha didn’t have a bond mark… Yuuri realized he probably should have paid more attention during his secondary genders class in high school.

“Oh, my Yuuri, you’re going to be so excited! My Makka has returned today from her hunt with Mila! I’m positive you will like them both – my Makka of course, but also Mila, she’s one of my oldest friends. A beta, by all rights, but her father was close to my father so we spent a great deal of time together in the manor as children. She’ll be around for a while now since she’s been away for such a long time, so if you need anything feel free to ask her.”

Yuuri thought back to the conversation he had last had with Viktor about the dog, and once more worried it would be a large, vicious animal. What if it attacked him? But dogs had always loved Yuuri, flocking to him when he would bring his own Vicchan to the dog park or on walks. And likewise, Yuuri would pet each one, telling them what good boys and good girls they were, and complementing them on anything he thought. He just hoped Viktor’s dog always liked him, no matter how scary it was sure to be.

“Would you like to meet her?” Viktor asked, nuzzling the side of Yuuri’s neck before placing a gentle kiss upon the fresh bond mark. Yuuri moaned at the soft contact, a small jolt of pleasure spreading out from the bond mark. A fresh flush spread across his cheeks as he felt Viktor smirk against his neck. “Still sensitive, little one?”

Yuuri wanted to deny it, but knew there was no point. Even if Viktor couldn’t feel his pleasure, Yuuri had _moaned_ at the simple contact. “Yes. I mean, yes, I would love to meet Makkachin.”

Viktor flashed a wide, perfectly white toothed smile as he placed a kiss against Yuuri’s temple. “Wonderful! How about we get you cleaned up while the maid takes care of this mess? Then we can have Makka join us for a day in bed?”

Yuuri felt a small bit of panic well up in his chest as his hands unconsciously reached out to hold onto any part of his nest that he could, a distressed whine slipping past his lips. The look on Viktor’s face clearly displayed his surprise as Yuuri burrowed into the nest, messy from three days of his heat.

“I need my nest,” Yuuri voiced, turning his face away from the alpha behind him.  
“Wouldn’t you like a clean nest?” Viktor asked, rubbing soothing circles onto the omega’s back. “The maids can clean everything here and bring it right back. Then you can replace that temporary nest with a fresh one.”

Yuuri peaked over the side of his heat nest toward the cage, where the hideous nest he thought he would only have to spend a few days in sat. The idea of returning to that nest was repulsive, and he would much rather have several of the items of the heat nest fresh to burrow into. But the day after a heat, Yuuri always stayed in the nest and let his hormones settle, playing games on his phone and stretching his muscles. Some omegas didn’t like to stay in their heat nest when they were finished, but it was more common for omegas to sleep the entire day after the heat to recuperate. He supposed he would have to have a talk with the alpha about his omega instincts, and which ones he gave into and which ones he didn’t. But that wasn’t a talk he felt like having, so he silently decided to address issues as they arose.

“Um, I always stay in my nest the day after my heats. My body is tired and the smell is comforting.” Yuuri bit his lip, casting a glance over his shoulder to see the alpha listening carefully to his words. It made Yuuri feel like he mattered – like he had a say in things that went on with him. With a little more confidence, Yuuri continued, “Can we just clean up and throw a few blankets on the bottom to cover the mess? Just for today?”

Viktor hummed, “I supposed that would be alright. It’s easy for me to forget how fragile you omegas are – after a rut I want nothing more than to get out of the room.” He carded his fingers through Yuuri’s messy hair. “I’ll help you in the shower, then I’ll draw a bath for you. While you’re relaxing, I’ll have to take care of a few things, clear my schedule for the day so we can spend it in the nest. Will you be alright by yourself?”

Yuuri wanted to huff that he wasn’t going to drown in the bath. That he had grown up in an onsen and worked along with his family. He wanted to lecture the alpha that omegas weren’t helpless and until three days ago had spent every heat alone, including his own aftercare. But he didn’t. Wouldn’t risk making Viktor mad. So, he just nodded.  
“I’ll be fine.”

Viktor nodded his own approval. “Good. Then let’s get started. I want you to have plenty of time to soak.”

Yuuri didn’t protest as Viktor picked him up from the bed. His muscles were tired, and if the alpha wanted to carry him then he would let him. Now that he was bonded – something he still needed to think about, but preferably alone – the words of Yura floated through his mind. He was going to need to adapt. This was his life now. Strangely, as much as he had feared what was now reality, he wasn’t as afraid as he had been before. Maybe it was a similar feeling to when he would dance – nervous until he was on stage, where he would let himself be free. Or maybe it was because there _was_ nothing he could do about what had happened – because it already had. Maybe it was a biological sensation – his omega working to calm him because he was freshly mated, something that should be celebrated – _he now had an alpha to take care of and protect him._ At the thought alone his omega was singing, praising him for having attracted such a strong mate – _a mate who could protect him and their pups._ Yuuri wasn’t even going to think about having kids with the man. No matter how well he had taken care of Yuuri during his heat.

Whatever it was, Yuuri quickly realized that he was going to need to come up with a new plan – because his plan of waiting for someone to rescue him was no longer an option. He needed the alpha to trust him enough to leave him in a situation where he could contact his family, at least let them know he was alive. Maybe he could even convince Viktor to allow him to see his family. Seung-gil’s alphas allowed him to visit his. At first, Yuuri had thought the relationship between the omega and the alphas was wonderful, until he saw the way Seung-gil behaved when confronted with Yuuri in the cage at the auction. Now, he wondered if the omega’s situation was similar to his own.  
No. That didn’t matter. The other omega had betrayed his trust. And now he was bonded to Russia’s most dangerous man – the Pakhan of the Russian Bravata. Yuuri wouldn’t allow his family anywhere near these people. He didn’t even want to entertain the idea of bringing Viktor home to meet his family, worried his sister’s protective and blunt nature would set his alpha off.

Yuuri stood still as Viktor set him down to start the shower. His alpha. The thought had danced so casually through his thoughts; he almost would have written it off. It felt so… _natural._ And it scared him. But he wouldn’t allow himself to fall prey to his omega’s desires to care for the alpha. No, he would play house with the alpha as much as he needed to in order to survive, but he would not come to care for the man. He refused. Especially after he _so clearly tricked_ Yuuri into inviting him into his nest. The thoughts of his family only brought back memories of the one time he had angered the alpha – at the auction when Viktor had told him he no longer had a family, because _Viktor_ was his family now. Yuuri would just need to find a way to contact his family, without the alpha knowing.

The shower was amazing. He didn’t even attempt to stop the pleased moan as Viktor massaged shampoo into his dirty hair. Yuuri vaguely remembered Viktor running clean washcloths over Yuuri’s skin during his heat between waves as he drifted off to sleep. In fact, Viktor had been a very attentive alpha throughout the ordeal. All three days he had pleasured Yuuri in any way he had requested, and between waves of heat had cleaned him, as well as made sure he drank plenty of water and even ate soups. He had remembered Yuuri telling him that his stomach couldn’t handle solid food directly before and during his heat. His omega had swooned over how well his alpha had cared for him. He had also been much more gentle with Yuuri than he had expected. Sure, he went harder or faster when Yuuri requested, but Yuuri had expected pain when sleeping with the man.

_Especially after seeing the size of him._

But while it was mildly uncomfortable to walk and stand, the alpha had always made sure Yuuri was well prepped. Even when the omega was begging the alpha to _just take him._

“Mm, what are you thinking my dear?” Viktor crooned in his ear, pulling the omega close to his chest as he reached past him to turn the water off, having thoroughly washed Yuuri’s body. “I can feel your arousal, stirring deep.”

Yuuri blinked, surprised. When he concentrated, he could feel the alpha’s words were true – he _was_ aroused, his omega practically leading his thoughts. Flushing, Yuuri shook his head. But Yuuri didn’t want to risk lying to the alpha. What if he could tell? Yuuri knew what went on with _his_ side of the bond – being able to feel the alpha’s emotions, all about alpha commands, and how his body would reject the advances of any other alpha. But he knew _nothing_ of how the bond on the alpha’s side went. He really wished he had paid attention in school, because now he would have to somehow find a way to look it up. Or ask the alpha directly.

“Just remnants from my heat,” he settled with, allowing the alpha to lead him from the shower. He slipped on the robe offered to him as Viktor set the drawing the bath, wearing a matching robe.

“Mm,” Viktor hummed, and Yuuri could feel the faint feeling of satisfaction drifting through the bond. “You were absolutely _divine,_ my Yuuri. Truly a sight to behold. If heats weren’t so taxing on the omega’s body, I would take you again right now.”  
Yuuri shivered at the thought – with pleasure and anticipation or fear, he wasn’t sure. He wondered if Viktor could feel emotions he himself couldn’t identify. The thought drifted from his mind as he saw Viktor add a healthy dose of bubble bath to the water.

“Oh!” Yuuri exclaimed, taking a shaky step forward.

Viktor turned questioning eyes to the omega. “What is it little one? A bubble bath will be more relaxing.”

Yuuri bit his lip and fiddled with the end of his bathrobe. “It’s just, scents to close to after my heat are always really strong…”

Viktor nodded his head and set the bottle back amongst others, slowly untying Yuuri’s bathrobe and sliding it from his shoulders. “Don’t worry little one. It’s an Omega Safe product, so it’s unscented. I know how you omegas are with your scents.”

Yuuri sighed, having forgotten for the briefest moments that his alpha was ignorant in some regards to omegas. _Most_ regards to omegas. He had gotten so used to the products each day when Viktor washed him, that all his products being Omega Safe were completely forgotten. It was a small thing, one Yuuri had decided early on was not worth a battle, but he did miss the citrus smells and warm vanilla scrubs from home.

Viktor settled Yuuri into the bath, telling him Cao Bin would be outside the bedroom door at his usual post if he needed anything. Not that Yuuri planned on needing anything – he was content to just relax in the bath alone for the first time in what felt like a long while. He refused to think of his situation, rationalizing that he didn’t want to stress himself out so soon after a heat. The water was warm, and Yuuri soaked low in the bathtub until all the bubbles were gone, and the water had run cold. He drained the water and dried with the towel Viktor had left out on the counter, before tying the robe back around himself. It was fluffy, and wasn’t irritating to the skin as most clothes were the day after his heat. But as he was passing by toward the bedroom, he stopped.   
Turning back toward the mirror, he slowly pulled the collar of the bathrobe to the side.

There, clear as could be even without his glasses, was the bond mark. Stepping closer to the mirror, Yuuri inspected the mark. A perfect circle of Viktor’s teeth showed a dark red scab. It was hard to tell what the mark would look like when it was healed, but as far as marks went Yuuri thought it would at least look nice. Viktor had such perfect teeth, pearly white and even except for his two canines on the top row, which were exactly the same on either side – pointy, slightly longer than his other teeth, and sharp enough to prove he was an alpha. He touched the mark, the skin sensitive and tingling as he ran his fingers over the shape. Through the bond, he could softly feel Viktor’s alpha being pleased. Yuuri had almost forgotten that the alpha could feel when the omega touched their mark – it was almost like a calling. Pulling his hand away, Yuuri made his way back into the bedroom. He looked around for blankets to lay over the mess on the bed, but wound up entering back through the bathroom to enter the cage. Yuuri pulled the largest blanket, that he used to curl up in, and carried it back toward the bed, where he settled in. It wasn’t long before the door was once more unlocking, and Viktor entered, standing in the doorway with the door cracked slightly.

“Oh, you found a blanket,” Viktor commented, noticing Yuuri curled up. He was   
wearing the outfit he had entered the room in earlier, obviously having donned it once more rather than exit the bedroom in a bathrobe.

Yuuri nodded, sitting up in the bed. “I took one from the other nest.”

Viktor nodded. “Hmm, yes, that makes sense. But I’ll have to have the bathroom remodeled.”

Yuuri tilted his head, confused. “Why?”

“Because, while it would be nearly impossible for anyone to make it this far, I would hate for someone to realize they could enter your cage through the bathroom.” Yuuri blinked. He hadn’t thought of that. Viktor had told him that the cage was for his protection, but he had always thought of it more as something to keep him _in_ rather than others _out._ “I’m having those curtains installed tomorrow. I’ll talk with Yakov about when a good time to have someone come by to remodel would be.” Yuuri nodded as Viktor smiled, hand reaching to hold the door. “Are you going to be okay if Makkachin enters your nest?”

A nervous smile crossed Yuuri’s face, sure the dog was going to be large and intimidating. Not at all like his precious Vicchan. “That’s fine.”

Viktor smiled and opened the door slightly. “Makka, bed.”

A flash of red-brown bound into the room and tackled Yuuri, sending the omega tumbling backwards onto the nest with an oof. A rough, wet tongue that was unmistakably a dog’s began licking his face, and Yuuri couldn’t help but squeal, his hands coming up to tangle in curly fur. Curly? Opening his eyes Yuuri was greeted with the sight of a full-grown poodle. _A poodle!_ Not some large Great Dane or sharp fangs. Yuuri couldn’t help it, he began to laugh, hugging the dog to his chest, the feeling of delight blooming in his chest. Through the bond he could feel Viktor’s own happiness at the sight.

“What is so funny, little one?” Viktor asked, long strides brining him to the edge of the bed. “May I join?”

Yuuri nodded, too delighted with the company of something so _pure_ to care what the alpha was doing. “I never expected you to have a poodle!”

Viktor patted the dog on the head, earning his hand a lick of appreciation. “Oh? Did I not mention she was a poodle?”

Yuuri shook his head, allowing the alpha to help him sit up in the nest once more. “No, you didn’t. Wow, you’re so pretty! Just like a large version of Vicchan!” Yuuri praised the poodle.

“Vicchan?”

Yuuri’s eyes went wide as he turned to look at the alpha, his hands tangling into Makkachin’s fur as he held her close. “Oh, uh, I have a dog too.”

Viktor’s smile grew even wider, his eyes sparkling as he leaned closer to the omega, his voice excited as he asked, “You never mentioned you had a dog! Are they also a poodle?”

Yuuri nodded, soothingly petting Makkachin as she settled between the bonded pair, uncaring as she flipped onto her back for belly rubs. “Yes, though he’s a toy poodle, his coloring is similar to Makkachin’s.”

“I bet he’s adorable! You said his name was Vicchan? It sounds oddly familiar…”

The alpha put a finger to his lip as he used his other hand to rub Makkachin’s belly, his fingers occasionally brushing against Yuuri’s as he did the same. Yuuri bit his lip, but decided to just get it out there. It would be better to bring it to light now, rather than have the alpha think he was keeping it from him later.

“Uh, actually, Vicchan…” Yuuri trailed off but pushed forward when Viktor turned a curious gaze on the omega. “Vicchan is a kind of pet name for…Victor…”

There was a moments pause, and Yuuri worried the alpha was going to be mad at him. For naming his dog essentially _Victor_ even though he would have no way of knowing who Viktor was at the time he received the pup as a child. But Viktor threw back his head and laughed, no ill feelings filtering through the bond at Yuuri’s shoulder. The omega sighed with relief as the alpha whipped tears of laughter from his eyes.

“Oh, my Yuuri, I knew we were meant to be together!”

What? Yuuri turned to gaze at the alpha. “What?”

Viktor flashed his perfect smile at Yuuri, one hand coming up to cup the omega’s cheek. “Don’t you see, my Yuuri? A part of you knew you needed me. That we would be together. And to sate that feeling until I could find you, you named your most loyal companion after me. I’m flattered, truly. Now, we are together, and you can rest assured that I will never leave you.”

The words did not comfort Yuuri, but he leaned into the alpha’s touch, attempting to satisfy the alpha. He needed to get Viktor to trust him. Something Yuuri was sure would be a difficult task, considering Viktor was likely only alive at this point because he trusted so few. If he trusted anyone. After only three weeks, Yuuri still knew nothing of the alpha he was now bound to for the rest of their lives. If Yuuri was going to survive in the manor, and gain some freedom of his own, he knew there was at least one thing he needed to do.

He needed to befriend Yura.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eee! Viktor FINALLY said "Yuuri" - not "my Yuuri" or "little one" or "my omega" just his name :) it was in a moment of panic, but there it was! Hopefully we can get some more Viktor character development going on now that they're bonded and he'll be able to feel Yuuri's emotions!
> 
> Let me know what you guys think! And once again, sorry it took a while for the update! I'll work on more this week! :)


	21. The Lesson

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yura

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's shorter, but I wanted to set stuff up to get the story rolling again! :)

When Yura entered the library, Viktor’s omega was there. Yuuri, his name was. Easy to remember, considering it was basically his own name. He was curled up where Yura had seen him the last time they were in the library together – a few days before the omega’s heat. Yura was just glad it was over – while Viktor was off claiming his mate, Yakov had worked Yura to the bone taking care of everything Viktor normally would have. The old man wouldn’t let him slack on anything! For four days Yura complained and grumbled over the sheer amount of paperwork he needed to check over. What was Viktor paying the accountants and whoever else to move funds around and whatnot, if he was just going to check it over himself? Yura didn’t see a point – people get paid to do their jobs. And if they don’t – well, they get to meet with usually either himself or Otabek.

Falling onto the other side of the couch, Yura dug around between the cushions for his mobile gaming device while he stretched, his feet resting against the omega. “Well, I’m not going to say _I told you so.”_

Yuuri had looked away from his book when Yura had sat down. He had to say, the other man no longer looked like a frightened little piglet. Now he looked almost… _angry_ wasn’t the correct word…maybe _focused_ would be more accurate. Good, he could work with focused. Now that Viktor had bonded him, if something bad happened to Yuuri, it would fuck with Viktor. Yura knew better than almost anyone how singular Viktor’s attention could be, and right now it was all on this omega. If something were to happen to him, Yura was sure Viktor would go on a rampage, seeking revenge on all involved personally. And that would leave Yura to take care of all the other business the Bravata was involved with – and he had zero interest in taking over as Pakhan, even temporarily.

So, he was going to have to make sure Viktor’s omega shaped up.

Yuuri touched his neck, over a bandage that Yura could see clearly wrapped around his neck under the sapphire collar he wore, covered his shoulder and tied off at his arm. The soft gray off-the-shoulder sweater the omega wore easily showing off that beneath the bandage would be a healing bond mark. Where skin showed through, Yura could see faint purple and green marks – scattered hickeys at different stages of healing. He nodded toward the book in the omega’s hand.

“What are you reading?” Yura figured if he was going to get the omega to open up to the idea of adapting, he needed to do the groundwork. That meant getting to know the omega enough to know where to start. He wasn’t the best at easing people into situations – he took more of a _baptism by fire_ approach. But if he pushed too hard, he didn’t want Viktor lecturing him about bullying the omega. Viktor thought omegas needed to be handled with care – to be treated differently from the other secondary genders. Yura disagreed – why should someone get treated differently just because they were an omega? Everyone bleeds the same color when stabbed, and everyone begs for the life the same way when in the red room, regardless of secondary gender.

“Oh,” Yuuri held the book up so Yura could see the cover _Biology of Bonds._ “Kind of embarrassing, but I didn’t pay too much attention in high school, so I really only know how my side of the bond works. I was curious how it was on Viktor’s end.”

A knowing smile tugged at Yura’s lips. Maybe he didn’t have to tread as lightly as he thought. “You’re trying to use the bond to your advantage.”

Yuuri shook his head, running his hand over the cover of the book. “Not exactly. I just need to know how to prepare myself. How _much_ of what I feel can Viktor feel? _How_ does Viktor feel it?”

Yura raised an eyebrow at the mumbling omega. “What do you mean _how_ does Viktor feel what you’re feeling? You know you bonded, right?”

Yuuri sighed, possibly irritated but Yura ignored it. People were often irritated with him. “Yes, I got that part, thank you. I meant, alphas don’t receive a bond mark like omegas do, so how do they feel their mate’s emotions? I can feel Viktor’s through the bond mark.” Yuuri gently ran his fingers over the mark again, fingers brushing the collar in the process. “If he’s feeling something strong, I sense it almost as if it’s my own, but the mark gets almost warm. When it’s a weaker emotion, it’s more of a gentle tingle.”

Huh. Yura didn’t know that. He didn’t blame Yuuri for not knowing what goes on with the other half of the bond, because he himself hadn’t paid too much attention when his tutor was around – especially when it came to secondary genders. He knew what he needed to know about his own, and that was that. No reason to know about anyone else – he was with another alpha anyway. Made things much easier.

“Well, I’m obviously not bonded,” Yura began, eyeing the omega. “But I can tell you what I’ve heard about the bond on the alpha’s side. As far as what you were saying before, anyway.”  
Yuuri’s eyes turned to Yura’s, cinnamon brown sparkling in the light from the window. “Really? What’s it like? How does it work?”

Yura tilted his head, trying to recall how he had heard it explained. “Uh, you know when you’re out doing something, and then you sense someone is watching you?” Yuuri nodded, though he looked confused. Yura hurried on. “Kind of like a pulling at the back of your mind that whispers _turn around_ or _it’s dangerous here,_ those kinds of things? I’ve heard it’s a feeling like that – a tugging at the mind, but with the omega’s emotions.”

Yuuri looked fascinated, leaning back into the couch comfortably. “Oh,” he drew out the word. “That actually makes a lot of sense. This book only really explained how the bond forms. Your explanation was much easier.” He smiled at the young alpha, and Yura had to look away, for whatever reason embarrassed. “Thank you, Yura.”

“Yah, well, whatever.” It was silent for a while as Yuuri put the book back and browsed the others, Yura swearing under his breath when he died in the game he was playing. He didn’t exactly feel a rush to move things along with the omega, especially since it seemed he was at least curious to know how things would work between him and the Pakhan. But as the omega settled back down, Yura couldn’t help glancing back up at him. “So, what’s your plan now?”

Yuuri turned to look at him, almost suspiciously. “What do you mean?”

Yura huffed, lowering the gaming device onto his lap. “I _mean,_ now that your plan to finish your heat un-bonded didn’t work out. What are you going to do?”

Yuuri glanced toward the large windows of the library, the leaves not yet changing colors but Yura expected it wasn’t far off now. “Actually, I thought a bit about what you said last time we were here. How I’ll need to adapt if I want to stay sane and survive.”

Yura’s eyes sparkled. Good. _This guy wasn’t as dumb as he thought._

Yuuri’s fists clenched around the book on his lap. “I’m just not sure how to do that yet. To… _be with someone I don’t love._ I feel like I’m being pulled around in whichever direction Viktor thinks I should go, and I have no say in what I do.” Yuuri gave a self-deprecating laugh, but Yura wouldn’t feel bad for him. Lots of people had things a lot worse off than this guy did. “Heck, I’m only allowed to go from the bedroom to the library to the dining room and back. And only if Cao Bin accompanies me.” Yuuri glanced over his shoulder toward the door, where Cao Bin stood silently, watching the pair. “No offense, Cao Bin.”

Cao Bin did not react. Not that Yura was expecting him to – in all the years he had known the man to work in the manor, Yura had never heard the man speak. Part of him wondered if he even could.

“So you want more freedom to what, walk around the manor?” Yura asked, resting his elbows behind him onto the armrest of the couch.

Yura saw the other’s jaw clench. “I would like to start with that, yes.”

“So ask him.”

Yuuri furrowed his brows and looked at the smaller man. “Just go up to him and be like, _‘Oh, Viktor, I want to go outside’?”_

Yura nodded. “Da, why not?”

Yuuri laughed again, though there was no hint of joy in the sound. “Yah, like that would ever work. I’ve already tried asking for a place to continue dancing so I don’t fall out of practice.”

Oh? Yura didn’t know that either. Viktor’s omega was full of surprises. “And?”

“And what?”

“What did he say?” Yura couldn’t picture Viktor having said no to such a small request. The omega had only asked for a place likely _within_ the manor to practice. It wasn’t like there weren’t enough rooms for him to have one. Even in Viktor’s personal wing of the manor near the bedroom.

Yuuri hesitated, fists unclenching around the book. “He said no.”

“No he didn’t,” Yura called the omega out on the lie. “He’d have no reason to.”

Yuuri bit his lip, and Yura waited ~~im~~ patiently for the omega to continue. “He had conditions.”

That made sense. Yura tilted his head, voice teasing, “What, did he ask you to suck his dick?”

“Yes.”

There was no hesitation in the response, and the omega had said it so _seriously_ that Yura couldn’t control the barking laugh that pushed its way from his chest. Now, _that_ was something Viktor would do for sure. “So do it.”

 _“No way!”_ the omega sounded appalled that Yura would ever suggest such a thing.

Yura shrugged his shoulders. “Why not? You just spent three days with the dude’s dick in your ass, why should it matter if it goes in your mouth? He showers every day.”

Yura could see Yuuri grinding his teeth, the omega practically spitting his reply, “I’m not selling my body to him.”

“Tsk,” Yura knew the omega would be stubborn, but not so thick-headed. He thought he was getting somewhere with the other man earlier. Getting the omega to adapt was going to be a game of tug-o-war. “Look, Viktor bought you. You were his _before_ he bonded you. Now, here you are, graced with the position as the Pakhan’s _mate._ And you don’t even _know_ the kind of _power_ that could hold!”

Yuuri’s face turned from annoyed and stubborn to curious, so Yura pushed on. “You think, that _eventually,_ Viktor wouldn’t bring an entire nation to its knees before your feet if you asked? The sappy fuck once purchased a restaurant because his dog took a piece of leftover table bread and he said _‘Oh but she liked it so much!’_ Adapt and get used to the life here, and it could be more than comfortable for you.” Yura looked the other directly in the eyes, voice serious in an attempt to get through to the stubborn omega. “You’re going to have to suck his dick eventually. You might as well get something out of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, let me know your thoughts! I love to hear what you guys think and want from the story :)


	22. The Preparation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had planned on this chapter being longer, but I'm debating combining the next two I have planned, and just having that be a longer chapter, since I thought the flow would make more sense there. But we got a little more insight into Viktor since the bond!

Viktor had been hesitant to cover his Yuuri’s bond mark with a bandage, but the omega had voiced discomfort over having the collar rub against the open wound. It had been a struggle between the desire to have his mate show off his mark, and the unwillingness to not have kept tabs on him at all times. Not that his Yuuri would be able to get anywhere near running away, but Viktor would rather be safe than sorry. Especially with how busy the manor would be with everything going on.

The workmen going in to install the curtains he promised his mate around the cage would be in the bedroom during the day, so his Yuuri would have to spend his time in the library. At least his darling omega seemed to enjoy his time there, and Viktor knew Yura frequented there on his days off. The last interaction he had seen between the two had appeared positive, and he hoped the two would naturally come to enjoy the other’s company. Viktor had Yakov making sure that on days his Yuuri would need to spend in the library, Yura had no work.

If that were all that was going on, Viktor wouldn’t have worried. But the day before, Yakov informed him that Leroy had called. Apparently, he had taken his omega to see his family in Korea, and decided to stop by for a visit. It wasn’t that Viktor didn’t trust Leroy, the man was energetic and narcissistic, but overall a manageable person to be around. It also helped that there was potential for a business partnership. His only issue with the omega trader stopping by the manor with such short notice, was that he was likely to bring several men along with him. Much like Viktor, Leroy rarely dirtied his own hands with work, electing to have his men transport merchandise make the physical deals with buyers and such. And traveling with his omega, Leroy likely had around ten men with him.

Not a lot; but enough to set Viktor on edge with his fresh-from-heat and newly bonded mate walking around the manor. Perhaps Viktor would place an extra guard around his Yuuri after lunch for when Leroy arrived. Chris was personally going to the airport to escort Leroy and his omega to the manor, so he had faith the Swiss informant would do his duty and inform Viktor when they landed. Phichit was off on his own task, and Yakov had sent Otabek along with him. Reaching over, Viktor pressed the pager on his desk.

“Yakov, come to my office.” Viktor didn’t wait for a reply over the speaker, instead leaning back in his chair. Only a few minutes passed when there was a knock on the door, and Yakov was entering.

“Yes, Pakhan?”

“When are Otabek and Phichit expected back at the manor?” he asked, idly twirling a pen in his hand.

Yakov checked his watch, face seemed to be set in a permanent scowl. “Should only be about another hour. Before lunch, surly.”

Viktor nodded, humming in thought. “When they return, I want Otabek and Yura stationed outside any room my Yuuri is in. Cao Bin may stay at his usual post within the room so long as it is not the bedroom.”

Yakov gave a single nod in understanding. “And of Mr. Chulanont?”

Viktor waved his hand as if it were unimportant. “He’ll likely spend his time with my Yuuri until Leroy arrives. That’s all.”

When Otabek returned and checked in with Viktor while Phichit joined Yuuri and Yura in the library. Viktor had informed Otabek of where he would like the man to be while Leroy was in the manor, and invited the alpha to join him for lunch. Of course, Yura and Phichit, along with his Yuuri, would also be joining them for lunch. When Viktor arrived at the library to gather the three other men, Phichit was adjusting his Yuuri’s sweater by rolling the sleeves to show off the beautiful sapphire cuffs his Yuuri had chosen that morning. While that was going on, Yura was yelling that the beta was too loud, and not to fuss over the omega. His Yuuri seemed to be enjoying the banter between the alpha and beta, a gentle smile upon his face. The whole scene was quite domestic, and Viktor couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Viktor! Didn’t think I’d see you for a while!” Phichit greeted when he noticed the alpha’s presence. “I hope you’re not coming to take Yuuri away, I just got here!”

Viktor gave an amused smile and shook his head. “Just here to get you all for lunch. Yura, I’m assuming Yakov informed you of your post after we eat?”

Yura swung his booted feet off the couch and onto the floor as he stood. “Yah, the old man texted me like an hour ago. I’ll do it this time, but I’m not some damn babysitter.”

Viktor rolled his eyes as the young alpha pushed his way from the library to make his way toward the dining room, the sound of Otabek’s boots falling into step with Yura’s. Extending a hand, Viktor motioned for his omega to join him. “Come little one, before the food gets cold.”

His Yuuri was always graceful when he walked, the swing of his full hips enchanting. So enchanting, any alpha would be sure to fall for him. It made Viktor want to equal part lock the omega away for only his eyes, but also show him off. He had seen the garment bags hanging in the closet, sure Phichit had picked out many fine items fit for his omega. It would be a shame to not use at least one. But his Yuuri was freshly bonded, and Viktor wasn’t sure he was quite ready to bring the omega outside the grounds of the manor. Especially not after he had attempted to run not too long ago. The public announcement of him taking a mate had to be just right – the benefits had to outweigh the costs.

Viktor guided his omega to the dining area, where Yura and Otabek waited patiently before their untouched lunches, Phichit chatting all the way. Once the three had sat down, Viktor began eating his lunch, the others following suit as he listened to the beta’s small talk. Yura would occasionally grumble at something the beta said, and even the normally quiet Otabek spoke every so often when his Yuuri inquired who he was. The dining room hadn’t been so lively in quite some time. At the very least, it wasn’t as stuffy as when other influential figures joined.

“Oh, my Yuuri,” Viktor cut into the conversation, whipping his mouth on the cloth napkin at his side. “I have a surprise for you.” His omega looked nervous – perhaps he wasn’t used to surprises. “Later, Leroy and his omega will be stopping by the manor, so you may spend time with him while Leroy, Phichit, and I discuss business. Won’t that be nice?”

His Yuuri blinked several times before a small smile crossed his lips. Viktor could feel the beginnings of delight from his mate, a soft and pleasing scent wafting in the air. “Are you taking us to an omega center?”

Viktor raised an eyebrow at his mate. “Why would I do that? You have everything you need right here in the manor.”

The feeling of disappointment filtered through the bond, and Viktor ground his teeth. _Why_ would his mate be disappointed? Viktor could give him anything he desired! There was no need for the omega to leave!

“Oh, um, then where will we be?” his omega was clearly trying to sound relaxed, and it almost would have worked if _that damned disappointment wasn’t floating around in the back of his mind._

Viktor took a moment to calm himself. It wasn’t the omega’s fault – he clearly just didn’t understand. He hadn’t been in the manor long enough, and maybe Viktor needed to spend more time with him. He had read once that omegas got lonely quite easily. “You’ll be in the library.”

His Yuuri nodded, but _the feeling was still there._ “Okay, I’ll wait for him there then?”

Viktor rolled his neck, cracking it slightly in an attempt to force the negative feeling of his omega from his mind. “Was there something you were expecting?”

His Yuuri shook his head, but before Viktor could pressure the omega into telling him what was _so clearly wrong_ with his hospitality, he heard Yura harshly whisper something. Raising his eyes to survey the others seated at the table, he could see Phichit and Yura leaning toward one another while Otabek continued his meal.

“What’s going on?”

Yura shot Phichit what could only be described as a _don’t get involved_ look, but the beta sat back in his seat and faced Viktor anyway. “We were just talking about omega centers. That’s where you guys go to socialize right?”

Yuuri nodded and cast a glance at Viktor before slowly speaking up. “Yes, but it’s a little more than that.”

Now Viktor was curious. He always thought of omega centers as daycares when alphas could not watch their omegas for a day. “What do you mean?”

The feeling of disappointment was gone, replaced with the barest feeling of nervousness, but his Yuuri spoke up all the same. “Omega centers exist because we need to socialize with one another. Usually the majority of the time is spent in an open bath, but there are also meals and activities where we can mingle. If we go too long without contact with another omega-” the feeling of nervousness increased, and Viktor ground his teeth against the feeling, nodding for his omega to continue “-uh, well, we risk going into a drop.”

Viktor kept the surprise from his face at the news. Well, that was quite interesting. He thought omega drops only happened in times of great stress, but he supposed if he thought of how he knew omegas became lonely easily, it made sense. As social creatures, omegas often traveled in small groups, according to a conversation he once had with Leroy. Without commenting on the information, Viktor removed his cellphone.

“Yakov,” Viktor spoke into the phone, aware the rest of the table was silent. “Are the workers done installing the curtains?”

_“They have just left the property,”_ Yakov informed him, voice gruff. _“Should I call them back?”_

“No, that is all.” Viktor ended the call and flashed a smile at his omega, the nervous feeling buzzing around in his mind making it difficult to concentrate. “You little ones may spend your time in the bedroom. The bath should be large enough for you both to relax. We will discuss the possibility of the facility another time, but today I need you to stay within the manor. Cao Bin, Otabek, and Yura will all be outside the room if either of you need anything.”

Happiness bloomed from the back of Viktor’s mind, and a tension left his body he hadn’t even been aware had settled in. The morning before, when he had felt his mate’s distress and panic, it had consumed Viktor’s thoughts and body, bringing about his own sense of urgency to _protect mate._ But _this,_ this had been closer to an intrusive thought, continuously pushing its way to the forefront of his mind as a mild annoyance. He would have to do something about that, once he had more time to think on the matter.

But for now, his omega was content, and conversation had started back up at the table while they ate. Viktor could handle any potential problems his mate’s negative feelings could have on his work after Leroy returned to Canada. When lunch was over, he had Otabek and Yura escort his Yuuri back to his bedroom, sure the omega would want to get things ready for the other, whatever that entailed. He sent a text off to Yakov to have the chef prepare snacks for the two omegas later in the day, as well as have their dinners sent to the room. Everything was taken care of as he led Phichit back to his office, set of discussing business as a text from Chris notified him that he had picked up Leroy and his omega.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, I love to hear what you guys think! Hopefully a double update today makes up for me being sick last week and not updating! :)
> 
> Dark!Viktor will be back soon! As always, I will leave warnings at the beginning of dark chapters, with questionable content between BOLDED words.


	23. The Deal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor, Yuuri

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG! T.T  
> I intended this chapter to be much longer but I broke it into two so I could get this posted today, but I'll have the second part out this week! Graphic content is between BOLDED words! If you're interested in my excuses on why this took so long look below. If not, continue on to the chapter :)
> 
> So I moved, and we couldn't get Internet until the last week of January. Which gave me time to finish the chapter as a long version! THEN, as I was finishing the chapter my Word document crashed and I lost it all T.T it bummed me out for a few days until I got the motivation to start writing it again. The original version was longer (and actually more graphic - but as I was re-writing it I decided to make it minimal). And then I spent a few days re-reading what I'd written so far (the whole story - and we're over 130 pages 1.5 spaced!) so that took a while, but I wanted to document any loose ends I have. I've planned the next batch of chapters out, so I'm hoping I can get those out quicker! :) Again, sorry this took so long! T.T

It was just shy of an hour when Yuuri heard the bedroom door open and Viktor calls for him. The maids had washed all the nesting materials from both the cage and his heat and had folded them all neatly in the closet. There were now two rows of curtains around the cage, the set closest to the cage was a sheer baby blue, and the other a thick navy blackout curtain. Yuuri had stepped in for only a moment, to see what the inside of the cage would look like without light. It was much darker than Yuuri would have liked, but the idea of pulling the curtains so Viktor couldn’t watch him while he slept or was in his nest made him feel much better – even if that wasn’t the intended purpose of the curtains the alpha had in mind.

When he had stepped out of the cage back into the bathroom, Yuuri had prepared what he could so he and Seung-gil could have a relatively relaxing day. Scentless bubble baths, salts, and scrubs sat around the edge of the large bathtub, and he had even managed to ask Cao Bin to call a maid for unused bathrobes for them. They were fluffy and white and sat on the bathroom counter between the sinks. The _Omega Safe_ scentless products weren’t Yuuri’s favorite, but they did make it feel slightly more as if he were at an Omega Center. There, _Omega Safe_ products were all that were used, because although Yuuri was not sensitive to scents, some were, especially if they were close to their heats, and not all scents went together, so it would be difficult to decide which scented bath products to offer at a center.

Yuuri just hoped to find some peace in the day and had even allowed himself to become excited at the idea. It wasn’t so much that he was looking forward to spending time with Seung-gil, as much as it was exciting to be around a fellow omega. It had been nearly a month since he had even _seen_ another omega, and when Yuuri truly began examining how he was feeling, he could feel the beginning signs of loneliness. He needed contact with a fellow omega, the relaxation, and the feeling of _safe_ that came with the interaction. But in no way had Yuuri forgotten what Seung-gil had done to him. How Yuuri’s trust had been _betrayed_ by an omega he quickly grew to call his friend. The only hope Yuuri held onto was the look of guilt Seung-gil showed at the auction hall, and how he had refused to meet Yuuri’s eyes. It gave him hope that his fellow omega may not have _wanted_ to trap Yuuri, but rather maybe _had_ to do what he did. It wasn’t the first time Yuuri had thought the omega’s position might be similar to his own – trapped and bonded to an alpha with much more power than he. The only way to find out if Seung-gil was being used or had betrayed Yuuri on his own was to ask. And it looked like that conversation would be happening sooner, rather than later.

Yuuri exited the bathroom, head held high as he looked Viktor in the eyes. He would think about what Yura said, but if there was a way to gain freedom without demeaning himself, then he would like to consider that option first. But before that, he had to adapt – and his first step in doing that was to not cower from the alpha who had bonded him. Because if Yuuri hurt, Viktor hurt. At least he understood that much. 

“Did you need me?” Yuuri asked as confidently as he could, though there was no real power behind his words. Something he would have to work on. He crossed the bedroom toward the alpha – stopping several feet from the door.

Viktor eyed him as if Yuuri were an interesting puzzle he could not piece together. As if he desired nothing more than to open the omega like a clock and figure out the pieces that made him work. But his tone was light, amused even when he spoke. “Leroy and his omega have arrived. I’ll be letting the omega inside. Leroy, Phichit, and I have some business outside of the manor to attend to, so if you need anything you may have Yura contact me.”

Viktor was leaving the manor? He was leaving Yuuri unattended? Anticipation over if now would be an opportune moment to attempt contacting his family filtered through his mind, but came to a stop as he realized he would have more than just Cao Bin guarding outside his door. Yura and Otabek would also be there. No matter how nice Yura had been to him – blunt and straight forward as he may be – Yuuri doubted the young alpha would simply allow him to stride from the bedroom to find a phone. No, he would stick with his original plan for the day, adapt slowly and just enough to survive, and take an opportunity when it arose. Now that his heat had passed, he had ten weeks to look for an opportunity.

Yuuri gave a soft smile. “We’ll be here.”

Viktor nodded, clearly pleased by Yuuri’s cooperativeness. He opened the door, and on the other side stood JJ and Seung-gil. JJ kissed the side of Seung-gil’s head before urging the omega to enter the room. Seung-gil cast a wary look Viktor’s way but hurried forward to stand before Yuuri. It was mostly instinct that had both omegas pulling the other into a hug, both nearly the same height. There was the barest of moments where both were stiff, but the calming scent coming from the other had each relaxing into the hug. Yuuri barely managed to hum his acknowledgment of Viktor leaving, hearing the alpha chuckle as the door closed.

Yuuri and Seung-gil stood in the other’s embrace for nearly a full minute after the alphas had left before they pulled apart. It was silent, and Yuuri could see that Seung-gil was both nervous and uncomfortable. He offered the other omega a soft smile. 

“Hey, I got everything I could ready in the bathroom. Why don’t we soak in the tub, and talk things out?”

~Viktor~

Viktor closed the door to his bedroom with a chuckle. He hadn’t expected his Yuuri to nearly ignore him after Leroy’s omega entered the room. The pair had practically gravitated toward one another in a hug that looked all too much like children greeting a friend at school. But what had most surprised Viktor, was when his omega had exited from the bathroom at his call. His Yuuri had walked out with a confidence Viktor had yet to see from the omega, and it made him want to see more. He wanted to see everything his Yuuri had to offer, but there was something special about the determination he saw flash in his omega’s eyes. It hadn’t quite translated when he spoke, but Viktor could see the effort his omega was putting in to please him. At least, that’s what it would turn into. Viktor couldn’t wait to have the sex on legs that was his mate wrapped around his finger. The confident omega he saw for a brief moment in the bedroom was the type of omega Viktor wanted on his arm when he left the manor.

With a clap of his hands, Viktor turned to face Leroy. “Now then! What do you say we discuss that business opportunity I mentioned earlier?”

Leroy nodded, stepping smoothly beside Viktor as the pair made their way to the front entrance, where Phichit would be waiting inside the car. “You did catch my interest with it the last time we met in New York. Really had me thinking what kind of business would benefit the Pakhan of the Russian mafia and a humble trader such as myself?”

Viktor laughed, a lazy business smile upon his lips. “Come now, Leroy, we both know _humble_ isn’t a word normally associated with you.”

A confident grin graced Leroy’s lips as he settled into the backseat of the car. “You’re right. I’m pretty good at my job.”

Viktor nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly with the other alpha. While he had told his omega that their getting together must have been _fate,_ it was hardly something in which Viktor himself believed. No, he knew that what allowed him to find his omega that day was largely in part due to Leroy’s business decision to enter the omega into the auction, rather than sell him off. It was the smartest business decision Leroy had ever made, considering how much Viktor had spent on acquiring his omega.

“Once we leave the property it’s only about a forty-minute drive to the testing site,” Phichit supplies once both alphas were situated within the car, the driver smoothly pulling away from the manor. He typed away on his phone. “I went by earlier; everything should be set up and ready by the time we arrived.”

True to the word, around quarter past the hour the car pulled up to what appeared to be any other two-story home on the street. There was a single car in the drive, and the front door of the house opened as soon as the driver cut the engine. A gruff looking beta stepped out of the way as the trio entered, offering to take Viktor and Leroy’s suit jackets. Viktor waved him off, but Leroy appeared more comfortable taking his coat off than the other alpha.

“Well, of all the places I might have guessed you’d bring me to,” Leroy started, looking around, “a house in the suburbs was not one of them. What’s the catch?”

Viktor grinned, leisurely leading the way to the second floor. Phichit casually called for Viktor to go to testing room four, so he took a right at the top of the stairs. “No catch. This floor is for testing the product I want to introduce you to, the basement is where fine tuning of the product has been done while we perfect it. We have a larger facility for mass-production when the time comes.”

Stopping before one of the doors on the left, a large metal number _4_ hung on the wall beside it, next to a man Viktor recognized as one of his, but not important enough to remember his name. The man was an alpha, that much was obvious, so he felt no need to explain the fact to Leroy. Leroy was eyeing the man cautiously, still in the dark about what was happening. Viktor held out his hand, and the alpha’s face split into a wide grin as he pulled a small baggy containing two circular pills. Sliding one from the bag, he silently held the pill out to Leroy, passing the other back to the alpha. When Viktor nodded his head, the alpha opened the door and led the way into a spacious bedroom. The room held items typical to any standard setup, along with a door that led to a small private bathroom. On the bed sat an omega, silently reading.

_**“OH?”** _ Leroy asked, holding the pill up to examine more closely, barely casting the omega a second glance.

Viktor smirked and nodded for the alpha to proceed. Once the alpha was before the bed, the omega obediently opened her mouth. Though it was clear to Viktor that she had a distaste for doing so, but had the good sense not to disobey. The omega showed that she had swallowed the pill, and Viktor leaned back against the far wall near the door. A perfect position for a demonstration.

“It stands for _Omega Heat._ The test batches have been stamped with the initials, as well as the small flame on the other side,” Viktor explained. He waited for Leroy to join him against the wall. On the bed, the omega wiped at her brow where sweat had begun to collect. A small whimper slipped between her lips. “Within three minutes the drug begins simulating a pseudo-heat; complete with enflamed bonding glands in un-bonded omegas. We’ve gotten the window of effect’s duration up to forty-five minutes.” 

“Really?” Leroy sounded interested, rolling the pill around his palm with interest. “That’s quite something you’ve developed here.”

The pair turned their attention back to the bed when the omega let out a sound of protest. She was weakly pushing at the alpha’s chest as he climbed over her, despite the thick scent of heat and turned-on omega filling the air. Her breaths were coming in pants, her chest rising and falling harshly. Viktor could see the resolve and focus in her eyes slowly dying with sick satisfaction. This was the first time Viktor himself was seeing the drug in all its glory, the sight of the omega losing a battle within herself reminding him of his own omega awaiting his return.

“How does it affect bonded omegas?” Leroy asked, a smile creeping onto his face.

Viktor shrugged casually, not diverting his gaze as the alpha stripped the omega of her clothes. “Not sure. Testing hasn’t gone that far yet. The target demographic are street alphas and those working in the trade.” The omega was verbally protesting but no longer physically fighting as the alpha’s hand slid between her thighs. Viktor didn’t much care for about the actual act so much as the effects on the omega’s body, so he glanced at Leroy with a raised eyebrow. “Since you provided me with my own lovely omega, I thought to repay the favor by offering a business proposition when the drug goes on the market. Of course, if you were interested in the drug for _personal use,_ we could expand our field of testing?”

Leroy nodded, closing his fist around the small pill and holding it up in Viktor’s direction. “I was thinking if it’s safe for bonded pairs, trying it out with my own. My love my Isabella, but Seung-gil often gives excuses when I go to him. I would like to have him…”

“ _Crave_ you?” Viktor suggested, a wicked smile curving his lips as he turned his attention back to the pair on the bed. The omega was crying out in pleasure as she was brought to orgasm. And like a wave, Viktor could see the full effect of the drug hit her. 

Hands reaching out, she began begging the alpha to take her as he rubbed his member against her sex.

“Yes,” Leroy admitted. “Do you mind if I take this one?”

Viktor waved his hand, fascinated by the pseudo-heat’s ability to drag the omega fully into their primal instincts as if it were a true heat. “Of course. I can send you with a batch if you’d like. Consider it a signing bonus.” He looked at Leroy now, smiling. “Shall we discuss the numbers?”

**Leroy gave his own smile.** “I think we can come to an agreement.” He turned and looked back at the pair. “When will the testing on bonded pairs begin?”

Turning toward the door, Viktor paused with his hand on the handle. He cast a glance back at the pair. “Bond her when you’re done. I’ll send an observer up to monitor the differences for the next dose.”

With that, Viktor opened the door and left the room, Leroy close behind. Phichit was waiting in a sitting room on the main floor, documents and spreadsheets laid out on the table before him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is the talk between Seung-gil and Yuuri!
> 
> I know this chapter wasn't as great as they normally are and I'm so sorry T.T having to re-write this chapter bummed me out and I know I didn't do my best job at it T.T I promise my regular quality will be back! Also, please be nice, my birthday was yesterday :)


	24. The Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I said I'd get it out later this week but I had inspiration after getting through that last one. I think I maybe just needed to post that last one and get it out there even though it didn't feel quite how I wanted it to, to get back into the groove of things :) Anyway! I hope you guys like this one! I know it's a lot of talking, but as you can see from the title...

The bath was warm as Yuuri and Seung-gil settled facing one another, unscented bubbles covering their knees to their chest. Yuuri would be lying if he said he wasn’t nervous about talking with Seung-gil, but the thought of leaving things how they were was much worse. After a calming breath, Yuuri began speaking in a gentle tone.

“I know the way we parted wasn’t the best, but I truly believe the interactions we had before that were genuine,” Yuuri started, putting his feelings out there. “And I don’t know if JJ forces you to help him, or if you were forcefully bonded, but if you were, I’d like it if we could lay everything out before putting it behind us.” He caught Seung-gil’s gaze. “Because I’m bonded to Viktor now. There’s nothing I can do about that. But if you’re in a similar situation, from what I saw between you and JJ and Isabella – it seems like you have at least more freedom than I do.”

It was silent for a such a long moment that Yuuri was afraid Seung-gil wasn’t going to respond. But before Yuuri could fill the void with not even he knew what, the fellow omega spoke softly. “I’m sorry.”

Yuuri nodded. “Thank you.”

“Don’t misunderstand me. I’m not apologizing for having done it, because I’m not. I can’t be sorry for doing it, because it’s how I keep myself safe. It’s how I’m allowed to visit my parents a few times a year, and how I keep myself from being confined to being a bed partner. I’m saying,” he continued, looking genuine as he met Yuuri’s gaze, “that I’m sorry this happened to you.”  
Yuuri furrowed his brows. “I don’t understand. If this hadn’t happened to me, it would have been someone else.”

Seung-gil shrugged, moving some bubbles around the bath. “Who knows. As male omegas, we’re the rarest of the secondary genders. JJ was going to go to the auction as only a buyer, not a seller. It was the fact that it _was you,_ rather than someone else, that this happened. If it hadn’t been you, JJ would have sold whichever omega replaced you to some standard buyer. Viktor Nikiforov would likely still be doing whatever he’s doing, just without an omega at his side.”

Yuuri scrunched his nose in disgust. “More like an omega in his bed, rather than by his side. I hardly get to leave the bedroom. Even then it’s only to eat and read in the library. I’ve only been to his office once, and that was weeks ago!”

Seung-gil almost looked relieved. “Yuuri, when I saw who had purchased you at the auction, I was terrified for you. I’m just glad to see you well.”

_“Well?”_ Yuuri all but barked, quickly correcting himself and continuing on at a regular volume. “I’m bonded to the head of the Russian mafia! He manipulated me into letting him join my heat, and then he bonded me. I’m kept in a cage most of the day, and you’re the first omega I’ve seen since Canada.”

“But you’re alive,” Seung-gil pointed out, and Yuuri took a moment to digest those words.

That was true. While Viktor had scared him at the auction hall, other than grabbing his wrist Viktor had never actually _hurt_ Yuuri. He had saved Yuuri from being raped by the alphas when he tried to escape, and although Yuuri wouldn’t say he exactly _consented_ to having the alpha join his heat, Viktor had taken more than adequate care of him. Yuuri was fed three times a day, and when Phichit came to visit him they had snacks and tea. There was even once when Yura had walked into the library eating a handful of M&M’s and he had shared them with Yuuri. As far as living with the Russian mafia…

“I guess it’s really not that bad…” Yuuri spoke softly, mostly to himself. Seung-gil made a noise in his throat that prompted Yuuri to look up from the water at the fellow omega. “I mean, it’s definitely scarier at some times, and I’d rather not be here. But if someone had asked me to describe what living as an omega prisoner to the Russian mafia was like, this,” he gestured to unnecessarily the spacious bathroom, “wouldn’t be it.”

Seung-gil tilted his head to the side. “You’re not a prisoner.” Yuuri opened his mouth to protest but Seung-gil held his hand up for him to wait. “Prisoners of the mafia don’t get to take bubble baths with their…” he hesitated, looking uncertainly at Yuuri, “friends?” Yuuri gave a small smile and nodded his head. “Prisoners are tortured and killed. Omegas are probably kept and passed around as…”

He didn’t have to say it – Yuuri could guess what he was going to say. They had both likely grown up seeing the horror stories on the news of police raids on omega sex houses. The omegas were kept drugged and prostituted out to alphas. And if an omega was in heat…well, they brought in higher cash flow. The images of the omegas being escorted from the houses on the news would stick with Yuuri for the rest of his life. Likely Seung-gil’s as well. They would stick with anyone.

Seung-gil cleared his throat. “Anyway, what I’m trying to say is that you’re not a _prisoner,_ Yuuri. As a blessing or a curse, you’re now the _bonded, legal mate of the Pakhan.”_

Yuuri leaned his head back against the side of the tub with a groan, stretching his legs out so his rested beside where Seung-gil had stretched his own. “You’re not the first one to say that to me here, believe it or not. But what does that even _mean?_ I was only _slightly disappointed_ earlier when he mentioned we wouldn’t be going to a center today. _And I could feel his agitation grow by the second through the bond!”_

Seung-gil shrugged once more and tapped his foot against the side of Yuuri’s leg. “JJ and Isabella were easily irritated after we first bonded too. I wouldn’t worry about it too much, so long as you block the negative emotions quickly.”

Yuuri shot into a sitting position so fast water splashed over the edge of the tub. “Wait what? What do you mean by block the emotions?”

Seung-gil regarded him with a level stair. “So long as it’s not an overly strong emotion, you can hold them back. Similarly, you can push an emotion through the bond, positive or negative. Isabella once described the feeling of my negative emotions like a buzzing headache at the base of her neck.”

“How do you do that? Can you do it all the time? Can I keep him from feeling my emotions?” Yuuri asked hopefully.

Seung-gil shook his head. “It’s hard to explain. Think of building a mental wall, or holding the emotion back or sending an emotion out, I guess would be how I do it. Though if the emotion is too strong, it’ll get through anyway. Why don’t you try?”

“Right now?” Yuuri asked, unsure. What even would he try sending?

“Why not? If you get skilled in sending emotions, it might be helpful. Especially sending positive emotions. Close your eyes, and concentrate on sending a positive emotion through the bond.”  
Yuuri closed his eyes and concentrated. He thought of how he felt when happy – how it was an emotion he considered warm, and felt in his chest. He thought of the bond on the side of his neck, and how he wanted to send the emotion through it to his mate. After a full minute, Yuuri was going to give up, before he felt a soft, warm tingle from the bond. Viktor’s own faint happiness. Tilting his head, Yuuri opened his eyes.

“I…think it worked?”

Seung-gil nodded, relaxing back into the water further. “If it did or didn’t, you’ll get the hang of it eventually. It’s easier to tell if it worked when they’re closer, because you can see their body language, rather than relying on feedback from the bond.”

Yuuri nodded, but then shook his head. “I’m sorry, that’s helpful, but I don’t see how that’s supposed to help me with my situation?”

Seung-gil blinked at Yuuri as if it should be obvious. “I told you, you’re the _Pakhan’s_ omega – his mate.”

“I know, but-”

“Yuuri, that automatically places you in a higher position than almost everyone in this mansion, if not all of them besides Viktor himself,” Seung-gil explained. “Your possibilities are endless, seeing as Viktor hasn’t killed you. He bonded you, which means he wants you by his side in some form or another. Show him that you’re not just some omega for him to breed.”

Yuuri sighed, but considered it. Yura had said something similar…maybe it was time he put some thought into it. “Any suggestions?”

Seung-gil stood from the cooling water as Yuuri pulled the plug. The pair dried off and wrapped themselves in the fluffy robes after adorning undergarments. “JJ and Isabella forced me to bond with them years ago, and were going to keep me just as…extra. I didn’t want that, so by pure chance I had the opportunity to help JJ with his work in exchange for privileges.”

“Viktor works for the mafia! I can’t just _help him with his work! They kill people!”_ Yuuri protested as he stopped applying lotion to his body.

Seung-gil shook his head. “I doubt Viktor would ask you to kill someone. That’s not where you would be helpful to him anyway. You need to help him in ways that other members of his staff can’t. You’re smart, Yuuri. Smart, and bonded to the Pakhan. Start with something small. Ask to bring him coffee or something while he’s in his office. Ask to be around him more during the day. Pretend it’s because you want to be closer to him now that you’re bonded. Viktor may be smart, but alphas are pretty dumb when it comes to denying their omegas.”

Yuuri thought long and hard about Seung-gil’s words as they worked together on building a joint nest in the cage. As they worked on separating blankets in the closet, Yuuri bounced the idea off Seung-gil that perhaps he should keep main items for a nest on the bed, and use the extras for the nest in the cage. Seung-gil was confused about the need for two nests in the same room, until Yuuri mentioned that Viktor seemed oddly fond of Yuuri’s nests. The pair determined it may be worth a try, because even if Viktor doesn’t care about the nest, it wouldn’t hurt Yuuri any. And if he did take the bed nest as a sign Yuuri was warming up to him…well, that could work in Yuuri’s favor.

So Yuuri kept the blankets dedicated to the bed nest inside the closet on the island, while Seung-gil helped carry the others through the bathroom into the cage. Together the pair constructed more of a flat, padded nest, rather than a traditional one with walls. The omegas were going to share the space, with the possibility of the other’s bonded alpha seeing the nest, so neither were too keen on their personal nesting preferences being seen by an alpha that was not theirs. It was an unspoken understanding between two omegas. Once constructed, the pair sat within the nest talking about both serious topics, as well as ones that were less-so, such as Yuuri’s history of dancing, and where Seung-gil had grown up. They ate dinner in the nest when it was brought, and shared stories of their childhoods over snacks later in the evening. Yuuri even shared the story of his twenty-first birthday, and how he discovered drinking was not for him.

It was well into the night when the pair fell asleep, holding hands and legs tangled for physical contact. Yuuri wasn’t sure when he would be allowed to see his friend again, let alone another omega.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, let me know what you guys think! I'm excited for confident Yuuri, are you? :) if you guys are down for it, I have some more Yuuri-focused chapters planned :) Anyone else you would like to see have a chapter come up form their POV? Maybe Otabek???


	25. The Brave

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri, Viktor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I loved writing this chapter so much <3 I was so happy writing in some confident Yuuri for once :)
> 
> This chapter does have some sexy time with consent, but if sexy time isn't your thing, it is between BOLDED sections :)

Yuuri didn’t know what it was, but the following day he felt brave. Maybe it was the prolonged contact with Seung-gil, a fellow omega, because when he awoke the other was still there. Maybe it was the sight of Seung-gil interacting with JJ, and for the first time understanding their dynamic. Maybe it was the bump of Seung-gil’s knee under the table against his during breakfast, letting him know that he was _there for Yuuri,_ if only for the moment. Or maybe it was the subtle nod from Yura during lunch, when the pair of omegas joined the three alphas in the dining hall. Perhaps it was even the brief passing of Phichit in the manor on their way to the library, and the excited energy from the beta. Whatever it was, it had Yuuri thinking of all the people who have told him to just _adapt already._

It was going to be hard – Yuuri knew this. Everything about himself was so purely passive, that the thought of standing up to such an intimidating alpha was almost beyond his comprehension. But he knew he could do it. Knew he _had_ to do it – for himself and his future, whatever that may entail. So, when JJ took Seung-gil to the hotel they would be staying in for their extended stay, and Viktor announced he had more work to do that night, Yuuri set to work.

Yuuri told Viktor he needed to adjust his nest, and the alpha didn’t confine him to the cage since their guests were gone. It took nearly an hour, but Yuuri drew the curtains on the cage to hide it from view, and made his way to the closet. Gathering the materials, he and Seung-gil had set aside the day before, Yuuri allowed himself to get excited and enjoy the process of building a permanent nest on the bed, but didn’t let himself forget that the nest had a dual purpose. To comfort himself, but also to please his alpha. He rolled the comforter and the sheet into neat rolls at the end of the bed, and carefully constructed his ideal nest. It was secure, and soft, and warm – and everything Yuuri wanted his nest to be. Yuuri had always had materials for his nests, and he had been content with them over the years, but running an onsen didn’t allow for budgeting in for luxury nesting materials. And Viktor had spared no expense. Well – _Phichit_ had assisted him in buying the materials, with Viktor’s black card. Still, Yuuri decided he could appreciate the new luxuries he was being provided. After all, if he was going to be in this situation, Seung-gil had pointed out that brooding over or denying the good things – no matter how small – would only be hurting himself in the end.

Constructing the nest was the easy part – even enjoyable. It was the next part that could present some potential hiccups. Yuuri knew, when he constructed the permanent nest on Viktor’s bed, that the alpha may see the gesture as an invitation for _other activities. Something_ was going to happen when Viktor came back to the room, and Yuuri was planning on it. But unlike his with his heat, Yuuri would be in control over his inner omega. And he would be controlling how the night went. The decision had been one that took a great deal of thinking over, but in the end, Yuuri had decided. He was going to have sex with Viktor Nikiforov, head of the Russian Bravata, and his bonded mate. Seung-gil had mentioned earlier in the day that a blowjob _might_ get him out of having sex, if he really didn’t want to do it, but if he wasn’t into it then it may feel like a chore. With sex, if his alpha was considerate, he could enjoy the act – a give and take scenario.

After the long talk with the fellow omega, it wasn’t any of the advice or insight that was the deciding factor in Yuuri’s choice to have sex with Viktor. It was that the act of giving a blowjob, to Yuuri, simply seemed too intimate. The act of having the alpha’s member in his mouth was something Yuuri wasn’t mentally prepared for after such a short amount of time with the alpha. No, Yuuri decided sex would be simpler. He might not know what he was doing, but Yuuri was determined to take control of the situation – let Viktor know that Yuuri wasn’t just another omega he could control and use however he pleased. Yuuri was ready to make the alpha _see him._

And it would either make or break the dynamic they had going.

Checking the clock in the room, Yuuri wasn’t sure how long Viktor would be down in his office, so he wasted no time. Entering the closet, he searched in the drawer of items he _swore_ he would never use – the intimates Phichit had purchased for him. Finding the least risky item, Yuuri quickly changed, and put the clothes he had been wearing back on over, concealing the items beneath. Yuuri had decided on a sheer babydoll with matching panties in a soft baby pink. The babydoll stopped just before the bottom of his cheeks, allowing for the bottom to be seen easily, but managed to cover his member. After checking himself in the full-length mirror in the closet to make sure none of the babydoll could be seen beneath his clothes, Yuuri made his way to the bedroom door and knocked. The door opened, Chao Bin simply raising an eyebrow at the omega.

“I want to see Viktor,” Yuuri requested, with as much confidence as he could muster. _No going back now._ When Chao Bin checked the time on his phone and simply shook his head, gesturing for Yuuri to return to the bedroom, Yuuri straightened his back. He had planned too much for it to fail before it had even started. “Sorry, let me rephrase that. Take me to see my alpha. Please.”

Chao Bin raised another eyebrow at the omega, but Yuuri stood his ground. Conceding, Chao Bin nodded his head and gestured for Yuuri to walk with him as he always does. The walk to Viktor’s office was easy enough, and once they reached the large double doors, Chao Bin knocked. Viktor called for them to enter, and Chao Bin held the door open for Yuuri, closing it behind the omega and leaving the bonded pair alone in the grand office.

“Yuuri!” Viktor called, a large smile splitting the alpha’s face as he stood, both arms extended as he rounded the desk. “What a surprise! Did you need something?”

Viktor placed his hands on Yuuri’s shoulders and gently rubbed the omega’s arms. It was a gesture Yuuri would almost describe as loving between mates, but knew that wasn’t the reason. It hadn’t taken Yuuri long to realize that Viktor was simply a touchy person. While many of the alpha’s gestures were clearly staking his claim, such as pulling Yuuri closer by the hip, others appeared to simply be for contact alone. He had briefly wondered on more than one occasion if the alpha had always been that way.

Yuuri managed a smile as he leaned closer, wrapping his arms around the alpha in a lazy hug. “I wanted you to come to bed.”

Viktor pulled Yuuri closer, wrapping his own arms around the omega’s shoulders and resting his chin upon his head. “I’m afraid I have quite a bit of work left for the evening. Though you’re more than welcome to stay with me here, in the office for the night.”

Yuuri didn’t have a plan for Viktor having said no. Looking up, he rested his chin upon Viktor’s chest and gave a pout, releasing the barest bit of disappointed pheromones. “But I have a surprise for you. I’ve been working on it this whole time.”

Calming pheromones surrounded Yuuri as Viktor rubbed his back, and the omega couldn’t resist turning his head slightly to the side and closer to the alpha’s scent gland. “A surprise?” Viktor sounded, at the very least, at least _interested_ in what Yuuri was saying. “And it’s not something that can wait until tomorrow?” When Yuuri shook his head, Viktor chuckled and placed a kiss upon Yuuri’s head. “Well then, I guess it can’t be helped. My work will have to wait until tomorrow. Come now, let us see what this surprise is you have waiting for me.”

Yuuri smiled and even linked his hand with Viktor’s as the alpha dismissed Chao Bin for the night and led the way back to the bedroom. Viktor had been oddly affectionate and giving into Yuuri’s request, but wrote it off as his luck finally turning around. For what he knew was likely coming once they reached the bedroom, Yuuri was calm. Confident. Brave. Maybe it was because Yuuri had prepared himself throughout the day, and planned on being the one in control over Viktor for once. Whatever it was, Yuuri hoped it stayed with him all the way through.

When they got closer to the room, Yuuri acted as if he couldn’t wait to show Viktor. And a part of him, mainly his omega part, truly couldn’t wait to see the alpha’s reaction to the nest. But ignoring his instincts, for the time being, Yuuri pulled Viktor a little quicker toward the door. Giving what Yuuri hoped came across as a shy smile, he opened the door and stepped inside, holding the door for the alpha. Yuuri closed the door and hurried to stand beside Viktor as he took in the sight of the nest.

“Oh, my Yuuri,” Viktor said, pleased pheromones filling the room as he turned to the omega. “Did you build this for me?”

Yuuri smiled, taking Viktor’s hand and pulling him toward the bed. “For us,” Yuuri corrected. “It’s our nest.”

Viktor pulled Yuuri into his chest using the hand the omega held, and brought his other hand to the back of Yuuri’s head, sealing their lips in a tight kiss. Yuuri allowed himself to sink into the feel of Viktor’s lips, a small hum of appreciation bubbling forward. He could feel Viktor’s arousal through the bond, a feeling not unlike a hot shower on sore muscles. It seemed to seep into Yuuri’s very core as his own body began to grow warm, pulling another hum from the omega as he turned his head and deepened the kiss. Viktor growled in approval, stepping closer to tower over the shorter man. Yuuri felt the alpha’s hand leave the back of his head, trailing gently down his back and over his rear. With a firm squeeze, Yuuri became aware that his body was already beginning to produce slick. Flushing, Yuuri pulled away from the kiss, eyes locked on the alpha’s glistening lips, but made no move to step away. Yuuri brought his hands to rest lightly against Viktor’s chest.

“I,” Yuuri paused to take a steadying breath, his voice coming out low with desire. “I do have another surprise, if you’re interested.”

Viktor’s eyes dilated at Yuuri’s words, and he licked his lips. “If it has anything to do with the mouthwatering smell coming from you my dear, I am interested.”

The flush on Yuuri’s face deepened, but he refused to look away or back down. His fingers worked on unbuttoning Viktor’s dress shirt as Viktor fished a key from his pocket. Managing to keep his fingers from shaking too much, Yuuri finished the last button just as the collar around his neck unlocked. Viktor allowed the collar to drop forgotten onto the floor by their feet, and shrugged out of his undone shirt before holding out his hand. Yuuri gently placed his wrist in Viktor’s hand, and took the time to calm his nerves as he watched the alpha unlock the cuffs. A feeling of relief washed over Yuuri as the last cuff fell beside the discarded collar, his scent glands no longer feeling the pressure of being confined. When Viktor reached out to continue undressing the omega, Yuuri came back to his senses and stopped him.

“Wait!” Yuuri held his hands up and took the barest step back. “It’s, uh, part of the surprise. **So…you first?”**

Yuuri could feel his confidence slipping, but the chuckle from Viktor as the alpha moved to pull his undershirt over his head was reassuring. It had been a gamble whether Viktor would listen to the request, but for the time it appeared the alpha was willing to go along with what Yuuri had planned. Creamy skin and rippling muscles that flexed when Viktor removed his shirt was a sight Yuuri didn’t think he could tire of, having seen the alpha in every form of undress during his weeks in the bedroom. He was flawless, like a perfectly sculpted statue of Adonis. Another chuckle from the alpha had Yuuri turning his head toward the nest, aware that he had been staring as the alpha undressed.

“No need to be shy,” Viktor told him, voice teasing as he stood confidently in the nude. “Nothing you haven’t seen before. Nothing you haven’t,” Viktor stepped up to Yuuri and pulled the omega back against his chest while bringing the scent gland of his wrist to the alpha’s nose, _“felt_ before.”

Yuuri moaned softly when Viktor placed a kiss upon his wrist gland, allowing his pheromones to reveal how turned on he was by the alpha’s action. Viktor’s own aroused pheromones surrounded Yuuri as the alpha guided him into another kiss. When Yuuri pulled away his breathes were coming in soft pants, and if he hadn’t been wearing pants, he was sure slick would have been running down his legs. Ignoring both the erection straining in his pants and the one pressing against his abdomen, Yuuri stepped to the nest.

“Will you enter the nest?” Yuuri requested, straightening his posture slightly to gather confidence.

Viktor smirked and entered the nest, resting his back against the headboard. He bent one knee and lazily rested his forearm against it, giving the omega a full display of the alpha’s body. Yuuri managed to keep himself from licking his lips, and instead turned his focus on removing his own pants. Yuuri could feel Viktor’s eyes on him as he slowly slid his pants down his legs, running his hands over his smooth skin as he stood. As he came back up, he caught the bottom of his sweater and pulled the item over his head. If the increased scent of arousal from the alpha wasn’t obvious enough, the tingling of his bond mark seemed to increase, causing Yuuri to shiver in anticipation. He could feel his omega purring inside, pleased at having his alpha so captivated.

“Stunning,” Viktor breathed out, eyes roaming Yuuri’s figure in the babydoll.

Yuuri felt his member twitch at the complement, moving his hands to fiddle nervously with the bottom of the outfit. His voice was slightly unsure when he spoke. “So you like it?”

Viktor licked his lips and met Yuuri’s eyes. “Yes. Now, come here.”

The alpha opened his arms and beckoned Yuuri to him. Climbing into the nest, Yuuri urged Viktor’s leg down before settling on the alpha’s lap. Wasting no time, Viktor’s hands slid beneath the babydoll and flattened his palms against Yuuri’s back, pulling the omega into a steamy kiss. Yuuri placed his hands on Viktor’s shoulders to steady himself as he allowed himself to melt into the kiss. He was doing this for himself. For his future. To gain some trust with the alpha, and with it, some freedom. The hungry scent of Viktor’s arousal, and armed with the knowledge that _he_ had caused it of his own will, was empowering. So, when Viktor leaned forward with the clear intention of switching their positions, Yuuri used his hands on the alpha’s shoulders to push him back against the headboard.

“No,” Yuuri told him, voice raspy with desire but no less strong. “Stay how you are.”

Viktor raised a single silver eyebrow at the omega, but did not attempt to switch their positions again. Though the alpha looked at him with a calculating stare. Feeling more in control, Yuuri slowly began rocking his hips as he leaned forward to kiss Viktor once more. It almost would have felt strange, kissing the man who bought him in an auction, kept him in a cage, and bonded him under a situation where consent was dubious at best. At least, it would have felt strange, if it wasn’t for the bond and his inner omega telling him that _everything was so right._

_Kissing Viktor felt so right._

It was something Yuuri could think about later; but for now, he would take Seung-gil’s advice and use the situation to his advantage while feeling good. There was nothing wrong with doing what he needed to do to secure his place and freedom. As much freedom as he could.

Leaning back from the kiss, Yuuri’s grip on Viktor’s shoulders tightened as he rocked his hips a little harder, desperate for friction upon his leaking member. He was sure that by this point his panties were soaked through, and that Viktor could feel the slick upon his own member. The hands at his back moved down to rest upon his rear, firmly squeezing as the alpha gave his own groan. When Yuuri opened his eyes and it was clear Viktor was focused on his movements, Yuuri reached behind him and slid the panties to the side. Using the same hand, he moved Viktor’s member to his entrance, and slowly began to sink down.

Moaning out and going slow, this was the first time Yuuri had felt the sensation of a cock entering him outside of his heat. And he was more than glad that he was controlling the experience, at his own pace. Yuuri felt himself stretching and clenching around the alpha’s length as it filled him, accommodating to the size and girth as his slick made the motion smooth. It was unlike his heat, where the desperation to be filled was consuming. This time, Yuuri truly felt just how large the alpha was – and he couldn’t deny that every part of him was enjoying the sensation.

Beneath him Viktor swore as his hands flexed against Yuuri’s hips, guiding him down but not forcing the omega to go any quicker. It was something Yuuri hadn’t expected from the alpha who was normally so commanding over everything that involved the omega. Once fully seated, Yuuri gave an experimental roll of his hips which pulled a moan from both men. Viktor’s hips twitched on the second roll, forcing himself the slightest bit further in, causing the head to bump against Yuuri’s prostate. Gasping, Yuuri slumped forward so his face was nestled against the scent gland at Viktor’s shoulder, drowning the omega in pheromones that were pure alpha. Encouraged by the feeling of the alpha within him, Yuuri slowly began lifting himself from the member before sinking back down. He did this a few times, before Viktor tightened his grasp upon Yuuri and shifted his hips slightly forward. The action caused the entirety of Viktor’s length to drag over Yuuri’s prostate as he sank back down, causing the omega to release a needy whine as he increased his pace.

Viktor groaned beneath him, massaging his hips as he gave the barest of bucks while Yuuri descended upon him. The more Yuuri moved, the sloppier his movements became as he chased his pleasure. But what threw him over the edge was when Viktor began kissing along the omega’s neck, gently lapping at the bond mark on the left where Yuuri’s neck met his shoulder, and his hand snaked between the pair. Viktor easily slipped Yuuri’s own leaking member from the confines of his panties and began pumping him in time with Yuuri’s movements. The pleasure was almost too much, and it wasn’t long before Yuuri felt himself on the edge.

“Alpha,” Yuuri gasped, lost in pleasure, “I’m going to-!”

Before finishing his sentence, Yuuri was clenching around the member within him, and painting their stomachs white with his orgasm. Crying out, Yuuri buried his face further into the alpha’s shoulder as he rode out his orgasm, slowing his hips as he began to come down. Viktor quickened his own thrusts as he stopped kissing the omega’s bond mark, his eyes closed as the last few pumps had him finishing deep within. Yuuri felt Viktor’s member twitching and throbbing within him, seconds before he felt the hot liquid of the alpha painting his inner walls, the alpha’s knot swelling and locking the pair together.

**Yuuri’s body went slack** as he allowed his tired body to relax against the alpha’s chest. A gentle purr began deep in his chest when he felt Viktor’s hands rubbing comforting circles between his shoulders, and a soft kiss upon his sweaty hair.

“That was wonderful, my Yuuri,” Viktor praised softly. “I couldn’t have hoped for a better omega.”

Yuuri hummed, tired and content to take a nap until Viktor’s knot deflated. He wasn’t sure if what he’d done made any sort of difference, or if anything would change. But one thing was sure, Viktor seemed pleased with Yuuri, and that was a start. Yuuri would gain the alpha’s trust, and make him see Yuuri as a person, not just an omega. It would be slow, and long he was sure, but Yuuri was determined. And if there was anything being a professional omega dancer had taught Yuuri, it was that he had to fight for his recognition.

_~Viktor~_

Viktor watched his omega snooze lightly against his chest, knot still tying the pair together. His Yuuri had given him quite the surprise that evening. He had been expecting the nest. If Viktor hadn’t already known that bonded omegas who were nesters outside of heats often desired building a nest to share with their alpha, then having heard the conversation his Yuuri had with JJ’s omega over the microphone in the collar tipped him off. So, when his Yuuri showed up at his office that evening and announced that he _had a surprise_ for the alpha, Viktor already knew.

The nest had been meticulously put together – nothing less than what Viktor would expect from his omega. And now that the pair were bonded, and his Yuuri was clearly making an effort to get the alpha to trust him, Viktor didn’t have to wait to take him. The sight of the nest had stirred Viktor’s alpha, pleasing him and letting him know that the omega had done this _for him,_ and Viktor had instantly craved the touch of the smaller man. In fact, he had been acting upon his desire when his Yuuri had stopped him, a light blush upon his cheeks as he announced there was another surprise. And when Viktor settled in the nest, the sight that greeted him was well worth the effort he was putting into playing house with the omega.

Before him had stood his gorgeous omega, clad in a sheer baby pink babydoll. When he moved, Viktor could just see the omega’s member in a matching set of panties, and Viktor’s alpha wanted nothing more than to _ravish_ the omega. But he held back, enjoying the show as his omega had settled himself above Viktor and rocked his hips. Viktor wanted to _take_ and _claim_ the being that was pure, walking sex, but his Yuuri had held him back. His Yuuri had been uncharacteristically brave that evening, ordering Viktor around as no lover, let alone omega, had ever dared to do before.

And it was fascinating.

Viktor wanted to see just how far his omega would go to please him, and Viktor had not been disappointed. With minimal effort on the alpha’s end, his omega had ridden them both over the edge of pleasure. Though the poor thing was exhausted after, Viktor found himself strangely content to simply hold his omega against his chest and rub his back in soothing circles as his omega fell into a light slumber.

It took Viktor several minutes before he realized that the feeling of calm was partly due to his omega’s satisfaction. His inner alpha was preening over how perfectly fit his omega was for him, but also the feeling of _satisfied omega_ filtered through the bond undisturbed as the smaller man slumbered. It was warm, and soothing in the back of his mind. As if being beckoned to join the omega in rest. He would have to think further on the effects the omega was having on him later, but for the moment, Viktor decided he could afford to simply enjoy the sensation.

From the floor, Viktor heard the assigned chime that notified him that he had a text from Chris. Two more chimes followed immediately after.

A wide smile settled on Viktor’s face. _Well, I wonder what he’s found._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Love me some confident Yuuri <3 Let me know what you guys think! I am SUPER excited about these next few chapters! We're going to have more Phichit, Yura and Otabek will be getting their own spin-off chapter (as Phichit and Christophe had earlier in the fic), some Seung-gil (he and JJ will also be getting a spin-off chapter), we'll see Yuuri dance and then we'll be getting a little drama! I hope you're all looking forward to the pow-wow of chapters that will be coming!
> 
> And as always, I love to hear what you guys think! What you're enjoying and what you're not enjoying! :)


	26. The Celebrity

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri, Viktor, Phichit

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was getting really long so I broke it up into two! So instead of getting to see Yuuri dance in Chapter 27, it will be Chapter 28! And the side story of Yura x Otabek will take place after the next chapter, rather than this one! Anyway! No questionable content in this one, so no bolded words :) should be safe for everyone to read!

The next morning, Yuuri did not wake up feeling brave. His head was resting against Viktor’s shoulder, his nose pressed gently against the alpha’s scent gland. Viktor was slowly rubbing his back, and the pair were still naked, their bodies stuck together with the dried spend Yuuri had released between them the night before. Without the high of anticipation and desire, Yuuri much as he had before he had been bonded – unsure of what was to come.

“Finally waking up?” Viktor’s voice asked above him without ceasing his motions upon the omega’s back. “You tired yourself out after all the excitement last night.”

Yuuri could feel the barest of flushes bloom on his cheeks as he slowly sat up from the alpha’s chest, wincing as he had to physically peel their abdomens apart. “I’m sorry,” Yuuri started, avoiding looking the alpha in the eyes. “I didn’t realize that I…” Yuuri paused, searching for the right words, finally settling on, “that I would be so tired afterwards.”

Viktor chuckled and lifted Yuuri’s face with his hand, the other settling at the omega’s hip. “Do not worry little one, we have no shortage of time to build your endurance. Now, let’s both get cleaned up. We have a busy couple of days, and an even busier weekend.”

Yuuri tilted his head as he contemplated Viktor’s words. “We?”

Viktor smiled as he guided the omega from the nest, and Yuuri was suddenly nervous about what the alpha would say. “Yes, I have quite a bit planned for us. I’m throwing you a party.”  
Whatever Yuuri had been expecting, a party had not been one of them. “A party? Why do I need a party?”

Viktor turned the water of the shower on and waited for the temperature to set before guiding Yuuri under the spray first, slowly lathering Omega Safe soap over Yuuri’s chest. “Well, when Leroy and I returned to the manor to find you and his omega sound asleep, we stayed late in my office discussing…well, a manner of things you don’t need to worry about. But one of our topics turned toward a new trend in the west – omega introduction parties. And, well, Phichit happened to hear and became rather excited over the idea, so I decided to let him plan one for us. It will be much more convenient this way, not having to take you from country to country to meet my business partners.”

Yuuri was stunned, barely registering when Viktor turned him around and began scrubbing shampoo into his dark locks. A party, where no doubt mafia bosses from around the world would be gathered in one place, all of them watching Yuuri and his every move. And if he messed up! Oh, that would reflect poorly on Viktor, and Yuuri didn’t want to _think_ about how the alpha would react if Yuuri embarrassed him in front of a group of people so important!

“Little one, your scent is souring,” Viktor commented, washing the shampoo from Yuuri’s hair and turning him to face the alpha once more. “What is distressing you?”

Yuuri shook his head and took a calming breath. He had worked too hard to portray himself as confident to the alpha, he couldn’t tarnish his plan so quickly. “No, I’m okay.” When the alpha raised an eyebrow at him, Yuuri reassured, “Really, Viktor, I’m alright.”

“No,” Viktor said. “Tell me what’s causing you distress.”

There was a harsh tone to the alpha’s voice, one that caught Yuuri’s inner omega’s attention immediately. It struck Yuuri to his core, and had him wanting to nuzzle into his alpha’s chest for comfort. To please his alpha so he wouldn’t have to hear that tone again. But Yuuri held back from cuddling up to the alpha in the shower, determined to hold onto his dignity. Still, Yuuri found himself freely speaking.

“I don’t want to disappoint you,” he admitted, catching the alpha’s eyes with his own.

Viktor released a pleased rumble from his chest as one hand reached up to cup Yuuri’s cheek gently. “Oh, my Yuuri, you’re so good for me,” he praised; a small bud of happiness bloomed in Yuuri’s chest at the words. “You have nothing to fear. You only need to hold yourself proudly by my side. Nobody would dare so much as say something negative to you. I have confidence that you will perform beautifully as my omega.”

Yuuri swallowed and nodded his head. Viktor had used the word _“perform.”_ Maybe, if Yuuri thought of the party as he did performing on stage…

_~Phichit~_

Phichit thought that maybe in another life he was a social butterfly, with many friends who would gather for parties or simply to hang out. At least, that’s how he felt while planning Yuuri’s introduction party as the Pakhan’s mate. Since Phichit hadn’t personally sold drugs on the street for several years now, instead choosing to run his business from a distance, he had more than his fair share of free time on his hands. Of course, much of Chris’ work left him home with the beta between following up on information leads for Viktor, and the pair used their time having their own fun. But at times like these when he got to see his hard work come together in a way that didn’t remind him of his harsh childhood and his mother, well, Phichit wished he had a different life. Still, this was Phichit’s life, and he would take the task of planning the party for what it was – a happy little distraction and a fun weekend.

“Hey, Chris,” Phichit called from their living room. “What’s the name of that reporter that Viktor always uses?”

Christophe stuck his head around from the kitchen. “Uh, I think his name is Hisashi Morooka? Some foreign guy. Why?”

Phichit pulled up the file of exclusive contacts on Chris’ laptop, punching the number into his phone as he held it up to his ear. “Viktor asked me to plan Yuuri’s omega introduction party, remember? There’s no way the media doesn’t get ahold of Russia’s Pakhan throwing a party for his mate. Figured Viktor would want his guy covering it first.”

“Smart,” Chris complemented before returning to making their lunch.

Phichit heard the line connect and immediately began speaking, “Hisashi! My name is Phichit, I’m Chris’ mate. Do you want the hottest Nikiforov news?”

It didn’t take Phichit long to fill Hisashi Morooka in on the party Viktor was having to introduce Yuuri. Hisashi was enthusiastic, because not only was he going to get an amazing scoop on Nikiforov, the Pakhan’s mate was someone from his home country whom nearly everyone knew.

_~Viktor~_

After settling his Yuuri in for his morning bath, Viktor returned to the bedroom to dress. Fishing his phone from his trousers from the day before, forgotten on the floor after his Yuuri’s surprise, he checked his messages on his way to the closet. That was right, he had received several messages from Chris the night before, just as his Yuuri had dosed off.

_From Chris: Your boy is making the news_

Following the message was a link and another message. The first was to a news article, detailing the missing omega, his last known whereabouts, his description, and several comments from his family asking for anyone with information to step forward. But the most important piece of information was from the reporter himself, who gave a brief description of his Yuuri’s career and his status as one of Japan’s national treasure athletes.

> __
> 
> # _“National Treasure Omega Ballerina Yuuri Katsuki_
> 
> remains missing after two months. Katsuki practiced dance with his instructor Minako, former National Treasure Omega Ballerina herself, since a young age. Having presented at fourteen, Katsuki had his ballet debut at sixteen, and his professional career took off two years later. At age twenty, Katsuki’s success in the world of dance was astronomical, portraying emotions with his movements in ways that only he could, earning him the title of National Treasure, a title presented to one athlete per field during their prime until retirement. Unmatched, Katsuki outsourced internationally and began traveling with world renowned studios. Which is where Katsuki went missing nearly eight weeks ago, on Saturday, August 5th in Montreal, Canada. Investigations have begun to spread internationally…” 

Viktor was aware his Yuuri was famous, having asked Chris for a brief description of the omega when he was first purchased, mainly to make sure he didn’t need to have anyone taken care of before problems arose. So of course, he knew of his Yuuri’s fame within Japan. How Chris had failed to mention the omega’s standing as a National Treasure, was beyond him. Viktor’s eye twitched as he exited the article and re-opened his messages.

_From Chris: And before you get all mad at me for giving you this news late, there’s a reason. Not much news covers ballet. It’s been several years since he debuted, and the news article from his announcement as a National Treasure was over three years ago. Most of the recent news mentioned he was traveling internationally. I had to dig for hours yesterday after this article came out to find another mention of his status. It was exhausting!_

Viktor sighed and placed his phone on the island inside the closet, picking a suit at random. He had been prepared to handle the small hurdle of news that was sure to follow his announcement of bonding a nationally ranked athlete, but a National Treasure would be a different situation completely. Before, Viktor was going to give his one exclusive interview to Hisashi, his inside man for the news. But with his Yuuri’s status, the news is likely to gain interest from several countries, particularly Japan. From any given conversation Viktor had with or eased dropped on with the omega, his Yuuri never mentioned his renowned success in the world of dance. Well, his omega sure was a humble little thing.

He had to come up with a new plan; one that would limit his and his omega’s interaction with the media. Having his Yuuri say something that could reflect poorly upon Viktor would be less than desirable. Of course, Viktor had bonded Yuuri in Russia, where omega rights were minimal to ensure the fairer sex’s safety and well-being, so if his Yuuri tried to claim a forced bonding, no authorities could help him there. Besides, the stored conversation on his computer from the collar the omega had been wearing the days leading up to and at the start of his heat, would clearly show that the alpha had been respectful of the omega’s wishes not to have him join until the omega had asked. Every precaution had been set in place to ensure his Yuuri would remain his.

Except for the oversight of his Yuuri’s fame. Such a reserved omega would not be who Viktor anticipated to be top ranked among the profession in Japan, but there were ways Viktor could see how the decision was made. When his Yuuri walked, it was with such grace; fluid movements had the omega seemingly gliding about. He adored the omega’s beauty; with a soft jaw line and features, and large doe eyes that reminded Viktor of a warm fall sunset or glass of spiced brandy and cinnamon. Lips full and soft in the way Viktor knew omegas were, but who tasted like pure desire. Yes, Viktor could see why the world would be enthralled with his Yuuri’s beauty. But if Viktor had to choose a favorite part of his omega, it would be his thighs. Long legs and powerful thighs that Viktor sometimes fantasized about sinking his teeth into were enough of a reason to grant the omega a nationally ranked title in Viktor’s opinion.

At the back of his mind Viktor felt his omega touch the bond mark he had given him. The touch seemed to linger, so Viktor quickly pushed his phone into his pocket and made his way back toward the bathroom. Inside, his Yuuri seemed to be lost in thought, one hand softly gliding over the fully healed bond mark on his left shoulder.

“Thinking of me?” Viktor teased, leaning his frame in the doorway, crossing his ankles and arms casually as he observed his mate.

Water flung from the omega’s hair as he turned in surprise at Viktor’s voice, a light flush upon his cheeks. “What?”

Viktor gave a lopsided smile and tapped the left side of his own neck as indication. “I could feel you touching your bond. Were you ready to get out? You haven’t been in very long; I don’t want you getting stressed if you haven’t had time to relax.”

His Yuuri offered his own smile, though he seemed rather embarrassed. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t even realize I was touching it.” He scratched the side of his face absentmindedly before pointing toward the linen closet. “Would you hand me a towel?”

Viktor fetched one of the fluffier towels in the closet, partly because he knew they were the ones his Yuuri preferred, and partly because he enjoyed the way his Yuuri looked so warm bundled up in them. Stepping back, Viktor held the towel open, silently indicating that he wanted the omega to step from the tub into the towel.

“Oh, um,” his Yuuri shifted around in the water, “I can do that myself.”

“Come now little one, no reason to be shy. Not after how confident you were last night.” Viktor licked his top lip as he shook the towel to show he would not budge. “It was quite the attractive side to you.”

After a moments more of hesitation, his Yuuri finally pulled the plug to drain the bathtub, and slowly stood before stepping over the side and into the towel Viktor held. And it became strikingly clear why his Yuuri had been so shy.

“Oh, little one,” Viktor dropped his voice a shade lower, “was one round not enough for you last night? What an adventurous little omega.”

His Yuuri flushed a darker shade of red and moved his hands to cover his omega cock. “It’s your fault!”

Viktor chuckled and began running the towel over the omega’s body to dry him. “I’m sure it is.” Kneeling down to dry the omega’s legs, the alpha leaned forward and placed a chaste kiss to the back of the hands protecting his member, earning a small squeak of surprise.

“That’s not what I meant!” his omega defended, allowing Viktor to bundle him into the towel as they made their way toward the closet. “I could feel your arousal through the bond and my body just reacted! It wasn’t my fault!”

Oh. Viktor hadn’t even been aware he had been aroused, having been distracted by his thoughts of his Yuuri and his plush thighs that Viktor wanted to throw over his shoulders and…

_Well, that would explain the arousal,_ Viktor thought with a small chuckle. He would have to remember that his arousal would cause a physiological response in his omega. “Well, I’m sorry to say that I’m quite busy today, so we can’t afford to have any later of a start. Even if it is for fun.”

“You’re busy every day,” his omega absently commented as he pulled a warm looking sweater perfect for the cool October days. “What are you doing today?”

_~Yuuri~_

Yuuri pulled the dark gray sweater over his head after sliding the towel down around his waist. He hoped to get closer to Viktor so the alpha would trust him. Step one was to continue to be confident, or at least show confidence, so Viktor would think Yuuri was more comfortable around him. Step two was to learn more about the alpha’s life. Showing interest in the alpha’s days would hopefully show that Yuuri was interested in Viktor as a person. And perhaps part of him was curious. He was bonded to the man after all, and for the foreseeable future would be spending his time in the manor with him. If Yuuri wanted to be free to walk the manor, and maybe the grounds, and keep his mental sanity, he knew he couldn’t be in the dark. Now, he had no desire to hear about any mafia business, but with how Viktor seemed to think of omegas, Yuuri doubted the alpha would tell him any gory details anyway.

“Well,” Viktor began, and Yuuri could hear a slight smile in the alpha’s voice, “I have some business to discuss with Chris, and I need to go over my books with my financial advisor, and talk to some more people. Leroy won’t be bringing his omega by today – said he needed to take them both shopping for something to wear to your party.”

Yuuri sighed as he shimmied some boxer briefs on under the towel before setting the item on the island, content that he was at least decently covered. It would be another day alone in the library then, under the silent watch of Chao Bin. There was a kiss at the back of Yuuri’s head, a moment before hands settled on his waist, surprising Yuuri.

“No reason to be upset little one,” Viktor told him. “Phichit will be by in about an hour. I wanted him to go over party planning with you, since you’re the guest of honor.” Another kiss to his head and then the alpha was releasing him and pulling open one of the collar and cuff drawers. “You can spend the whole day together if you’d like, so long as Phichit can get his work done before this weekend.”

Yuuri relaxed as he searched for a pair of leggings. If Phichit was coming over, then Yuuri wanted to be more comfortable than jeans. Besides, if there was party planning involved, Yuuri wouldn’t be surprised if the beta made him model the formal dresses all over again. And shimmying in and out of the skinny jeans the beta had purchased for him was not what Yuuri wanted to be doing with his time. When he turned around, Viktor had the items unlocked and set on the island, one platinum cuff with sapphire stones held out. Yuuri allowed the alpha to cuff both wrists before turning for the collar, shamefully admiring how the dark blue of the sapphire complimented the gray knit of the sweater.

“So does Phichit just come by and buy whatever you tell him you need?” Yuuri asked as Viktor picked up the collar.

Viktor chuckled behind him. “My Yuuri, has our dear Phichit not told you what he does?”

Yuuri furrowed his brows, and when he felt the collar lock behind him, turned to face the alpha just in time for the key to be pocketed. “Isn’t he like your fashion expert or something?”  
Viktor outright laughed this time, and it made Yuuri nervous. Was the bubbly beta he had grown close to over…gosh, was it really close to eight weeks now? He had been missing for so long… But was Phichit really a murderous member of the Russian mafia? Yuuri pictured the Phichit’s smiling face, and the way he gushed over his hamsters. No, there was no way…Phichit couldn’t be a murderer. Viktor’s hand reached up and cupped the side of Yuuri’s face in a gesture that reminded him of someone comforting a child.

“My dear Yuuri, Phichit isn’t my fashion advisor,” Viktor told him, the smile on his face growing as if he were winning a game. “Phichit is the head of the largest drug cartel in Thailand.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, let me know what you guys think! :)


	27. The Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri, Viktor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's been a long time. No excuse, just writer's block. I had the party done and Yuuri's reaction from the last chapter, I was just having trouble tying in the confrontation with Phichit. Anyway, I hope it worked out, and that the length of the chapter helps make up for the delay! :)

Yuuri thought his heart had stopped, but the thundering in his ears told him it was working harder than ever. When he thought of members of a drug cartel, the bubbly beta that was Phichit Chulanont was not the image that came to mind. No, Yuuri thought of men like Pablo Escobar or Rick Ross. Although, when Yuuri thought of the Russian mafia, the image of Viktor joyfully telling stories of his poodle in bed the day after Yuuri’s heat, was also something that would not have come to mind. In truth, Yuuri was beginning to have difficulty connecting what the alpha did for a living, considering he’s never actually seen Viktor engaged in work. Yuuri took a step back from Viktor’s hand, wobbling a bit as he did. Viktor’s hand steadied the omega on his feet with a firm grip to his elbow, though the smile did not fade.

“But he…” Yuuri trailed off, unsure what he wanted to say.

“I know little one, I can see how the news might be shocking,” Viktor spoke softly, his tone as if he were comforting a child. “In the recent years he’s taken a more hands-off approach to running his little business. It’s more difficult to tie him to the drug problem in Thailand if he’s been in Russia for several years, anyway.”

Yuuri was trying to wrap his head around everything the alpha was saying. Phichit, who loved hamsters and clothes shopping and was so full of energy and life – ran the largest drug cartel in Thailand. Yuuri considered Phichit a friend within the prison he was being held. Even looked forward to their visits! The time he spent with Phichit felt _normal,_ as if he truly were just hanging out and killing time with a friend. But…drugs. Drugs hurt people; ruined lives and tore families apart with their presence. And Phichit made his living from that lifestyle.

The storm of emotions within Yuuri were spiraling, seconds from crashing down upon him and sending the omega into a full-on panic. Warm hands on his cheeks followed by a wave of calming scent directly by his nose pulled Yuuri back to reality. Viktor was standing inches away, firmly grasping Yuuri’s face within his hands and releasing wave after wave of calming pheromones from the glands on his wrists. The alpha pulled him so their eyes locked, and Yuuri thought for a moment he saw concern followed by annoyance flash through the alpha’s eyes, only to settle into a hard stare.

“Listen to me.” Viktor’s voice was stern, but he spoke in a hushed tone. “Phichit’s occupation changes nothing from the time you’ve spent with him. He’s still energetic and over the top. He’s just Phichit.”

Viktor’s words were a level of comforting that Yuuri never expected to receive from the alpha. But he was right. Yuuri enjoyed Phichit’s company, and he would still be the kind beta he knew the other to be – no matter what he did for a living. But drugs…that was something Yuuri knew would take a while to get over. The only way he was going to get used to the idea, and get back to having a mostly open friendship with the beta, was to confront him himself. Squaring his shoulders, Yuuri kept eye contact with Viktor.

“You said he’s coming over today?”

“Within the hour,” Viktor confirmed, releasing Yuuri and stepping back. “Would you like him to meet you here in the bedroom?”

Yuuri shook his head. “No, I think the gold sitting room.”

Viktor smiled, took Yuuri’s hand, and placed a kiss upon the omega’s forehead. “I’ll drop you off.”

~

Yuuri thought his heart was going to beat out of his chest waiting for Phichit to arrive. He had tried asking Chao Bin how long it had been since Viktor dropped him off in the sitting room, but had been ignored. Yuuri wasn’t sure how he felt about his ~~prison~~ guard, considering the man never spoke to him, but he had also apparently asked passing maids to bring Yuuri tea and snacks on more than one occasion. At least he wasn’t mean to Yuuri, so how bad could the guy be?

He wasn’t a drug dealer either.

Yuuri shook his head. No, he would wait and hear Phichit out before deciding if he wanted to continue to be friends with the beta. The old saying goes, _“Never trust a survivor until you’ve learned what they did to survive,”_ but Yuuri hadn’t always agreed with the saying. He thought it should be more along the lines of, _“Don’t condemn what a someone did to survive, until you’ve heard the circumstances with which they were found.”_ Taking his own advice, Yuuri would wait to hear Phichit’s story.

~

The hour seemed to pass painstakingly slow, but Yuuri was still surprised when the door was thrown open behind him and Phichit bounced inside.

“Yuuri! We have so much to talk about!” Phichit exclaimed, jumping over the back of the couch the omega was seated upon. “I have so many great ideas! Let’s talk about-”

“Wait, Phichit,” Yuuri interrupted, holding his hands out in front of his body, signaling the beta to slow down. “There’s, uh, actually something I wanted to talk to you about. Before we discuss the party.”

Phichit’s face took on a more serious appearance at Yuuri’s tone. “Okay,” he drawled out the ay. “What’s on your mind?”

Yuuri fidgeted with the sleeves of his sweater, slightly too long for his arms, but Viktor has said he looked cozier that way. “Um, earlier, Viktor and I were talking – mostly about the party – but…”

“But…?” Phichit prompted.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Yuuri looked up and met Phichit’s gaze. If he was going to ask something so personal, the least he could do was look the other in the eye. “But Viktor mentioned what you do – like, for your job. And I just…”

Phichit almost looked hurt, “Wanted to see if I really run a drug cartel?” When Yuuri nodded, Phichit’s hand clutched tighter to his phone as he continued, “It’s true. Now what?”

Yuuri knew the answer – why would Viktor lie to him about something so serious? But hearing Phichit say it out loud...conflictingly made him feel nervous sitting beside the beta and relieved to have it out in the open. A sense of calm washed over Yuuri. 

“What?”

“What happens now?” Phichit asked, gesturing between the pair. “Between us, I mean. Just because I do what I do, doesn’t make me want to be your friend any less. But, considering you’re mated to Viktor Nikiforov of all people, I didn’t think it would bother you this much.”

“Yes you did,” Yuuri accused, but before Phichit could give an excuse Yuuri rushed on, “If you didn’t think I’d react badly to this then you wouldn’t have kept it from me.”

Phichit visibly swallowed and glanced down at his phone, knuckles turning white. “It’s never come up. But, yah, part of me was afraid. I’m not exactly _proud_ of what I do, but it’s what kept food on my table and a roof over my head as a child, and it’s what kept me alive since.” He finally looked up and met Yuuri’s eyes. “I won’t apologize for what I do. Everyone makes their own choices – I don’t personally force anyone to take the drugs I sell. I do more delegating than in-person selling now, but I suppose that won’t matter to you.”

The hurt was still in the beta’s eyes, and Yuuri felt his heart clench as he reached a hand out and placed it over the other’s hands. “Phit, _why?”_

And Phichit told him – the whole story of his mother and her doing drugs at home and the strange men and the overdose. He told him of how he tried heroin that one time and didn’t like how it made him feel. He even told him about how he met Christophe and his business with the Russian mafia. There was more – Yuuri could sense it in the way Phichit hesitated, but knew there was enough truth in what the beta had told him to understand. At least the circumstances of Phichit’s life. And… Yuuri felt sorry for him. Despite his own situation, Yuuri wanted to be _there,_ as a friend, for the other man. Yuuri knew he could never forget – or overlook – what Phichit does for a living, but he no longer felt he could condemn him either. Phichit’s life had been hard, and he almost seemed stuck in the only world he’s ever known. Maybe Yuuri could help Phichit, after he’s helped himself. Until then, he could offer Phichit a life outside of the cartel – by simply being his friend.

Without words Yuuri pulled Phichit into a hug that lasted several minutes, until the later pulled away first. Yuuri smiled first, pulling on from the beta with a head nod. “Now, what about that party you’ve been working on?”

~

Planning the party had been more than Yuuri had thought it would be – just pick some sandwiches and some bottles of champagne and call if a night. He should have known better. Phichit had rented a cruise ship for the _weekend!_ If Yuuri thought getting through a single night with the focus on him was going to be hard, he didn’t know if he could survive a weekend. Surrounded by dozens of people he didn’t even know! But invitations had apparently been sent out, so there was no going back now.

“Don’t worry!” Phichit was reassuring him. “I sent the invitations in black so you can decide the colors!”

“Colors,” Yuuri parroted back. Did they even matter?

Phichit nodded, tapping away at his phone for a moment before turning the screen back to Yuuri. “I was thinking something with a fall feel, like orange. Definitely not yellow – it’s a nice color, but after seeing you in that yellow suit – _yikes!_ We’ll stick with colors that complement you. Orange would go well with your eyes-”

“I don’t own any formal clothes in orange,” Yuuri interrupted. He hoped Phichit would just pick an outfit for him to wear and go from there. “My favorite color is blue.”

Phichit’s eyes were sparkling as excitement crossed his face. “You have all those beautiful gowns! Which one was your favorite?”

Yuuri tried to think back to the dresses in the closet, but he only recalled one dress that gave him the confidence he believed he would need for the party. “The gold one.”

Phichit squealed and began tapping on his phone once more. “Perfect! You were _rockin’_ that dress! If we’re going with gold I think we should do – you said blue was your favorite color? – how about a navy blue to accompany it? I’ll go ahead and order Viktor what he needs to match you for the party.”

Yuuri almost chocked on his tea as he took a sip, “Matching?”

“Well of course!” Phichit exclaimed as if it were the most obvious thing – perhaps it was to the beta. “It’s a party celebrating your bonding! The focus will be mostly on you of course, but you’ll want all the pictures to turn out spectacular!”

 _“Pitchers?”_ How big was this party? “Phichit, this party is starting to sound more like a public event rather than Viktor introducing me to some men he does business with.”

Phichit turned his head and lowered his phone to his lap as he looked at Yuuri. “Well, yah. There will only be one member of the press there, but you didn’t think you could be mated to one of the most powerful men in Russia and not catch the attention of the public, did you?”

Yuuri practically zoned out while Phichit continued to talk about small party details – how much did it matter if the waiters were wearing cummerbunds? Or what color they were. No, Yuuri was more focused on the fact that there would be _a member of the press at the party!_ It was like his luck was finally turning around! Maybe he could convince the reporter to tell what had happened to him – or at least get a message to his family! Or better yet, let Yuuri borrow his phone to make the call himself. If he could get away from Viktor for long enough…

“Now, the food is typically the favorite dishes of both members of the bond. What’s your favorite food, Yuuri?”

Shaking his head to rid himself of the thoughts of contacting his family, Yuuri forced himself to focus on what Phichit was saying. Something about his favorite food? “Um, my favorite food is katsudon – it’s a pork cutlet bowl. But that would probably be difficult to make here in Russia, and could be messy on a cruise ship.”

Phichit pulled up what the dish was on his phone, and hummed his agreement. “If there’s any rough water, the bowls of soup might spill. How do you feel about sushi?”

Yuuri gave a small smile. Sushi was of course what everyone would expect someone from Japan to say. Though he would have much rather preferred something like yakitori or soba, but it was a party. The guests would probably prefer something like sushi. “Sure, that sounds good. Maybe sashimi too?”

Phichit nodded as he typed out the menu items into the notebook app on his phone. It made Yuuri wonder...

“What’s Viktor’s favorite dish?” Yuuri asked aloud.

Phichit opened his mouth, but a deep voice answered from behind the pair, “Borscht. The beautiful red color has always been one of my favorite aspects of the dish.”

“Like I told Yuuri,” Phichit spoke up as the pair turned on the couch to face Viktor in the doorway, “soup would be difficult if there were any rough waters. You’ll have to pick something else. Yuuri chose sushi and sashimi.”

“Hmm, so the party is on a cruise ship I presume?” Viktor brought the index finger of his right hand up to his lip in thought. “I suppose we’ll just have to go with the traditional pelmeni then.” Viktor held his hand out as if to beckon Yuuri to his side. “Come, you both are late for lunch. I could use the break from all the calls of congratulations I’ve been receiving.”

“Congratulations?” Yuuri questioned as he allowed the alpha to rest his hand upon his waist. “What for?”

Viktor chuckled in a way that made it seem he thought what Yuuri had said was a child’s joke to an adult. “Why congratulations on our bonding, of course. Invitations have started reaching our guests it would seem.”

Guests. That brought Yuuri’s thoughts back to the one member of the press that would be at the party. As they ate, Yuuri decided to chance asking the alpha. “Um, Viktor?”

Immediately Viktor’s attention was on Yuuri with a gentle smile. “Yes little one?”  
Keeping his emotions under control, Yuuri didn’t want any hope seeping through the bond. “Phichit mentioned there would be media and press coverage of the party? Will we be giving an interview?”

Viktor hummed as he wiped his mouth with a cloth napkin. “Yes. Though there is no need to worry. We will of course be giving a joint statement and Hisashi knows better than to pry. He’ll write a wonderful article about how happy we are since our bonding.”

 _Shit._ He should have known the reporter would be someone Viktor knew – like the alpha would allow any random reporter to publish news about him. So, he would have to find another way to get the word out to his family about his situation. That also meant that he would need to continue pleasing Viktor and getting the alpha to trust him. Perhaps it was time Yuuri showed Viktor what he was meant to be.

“Hey Phichit?” Yuuri asked, once Viktor had asked Cao Bin to escort the pair back to the gold sitting room. “Any chance I can get you to order me a few more things before the party?”

~

Over the course of the week Yuuri had been stretching and practicing his warmups while he discussed party details with Phichit. On days when Phichit wasn’t there, Yuuri made sure to have a few of his leotards tucked away into the nest in the cage. So, when Viktor left for the day, he could change and practice. It was a bit difficult without a bar, but he made due. The weeks without practice had hurt him, but not as much as he had feared. Flexibility came back quickly, and the routine was like second nature. Viktor wasn’t the only one who had a few tricks up his sleeve, and Yuuri was going to blow Viktor away. A thrill of excitement began to run through him the closer he got to the weekend, and Viktor was none the wiser. Everything would go perfectly. It had to.

~

~

Viktor knew Yuuri was planning something. Nothing bad, considering Phichit had been throwing him looks as if he had been planning a surprise party for the alpha. When the beta was excited about something, it was almost impossible for him to keep a secret – or at least hide that he had a secret. Which was why Viktor wasn’t worried. Clearly his Yuuri had asked Phichit to help him with something for the party, and wanted to surprise the alpha. And if the surprise was anything like his last, well, Viktor could allow the omega a genuine reaction. It became almost a game to Viktor, trying to guess in his mind what his Yuuri could have planned. But it was Friday, the day before the party, and Phichit had gone over practically every minute of the weekend, with no time to spare for a surprise at the party. Which meant it would be a surprise for when he was alone with his omega.

It had been a late night, so Viktor had expected his omega to be asleep in the cage where he had left him, but upon his return to the bedroom the smaller man was awake, sitting upright in his cage nest. Viktor raised an eyebrow at the sight as he locked the door and proceeded to remove his suit jacket.

“What are you doing up, little one?”

His Yuuri fidgeted as his eyes followed the alpha’s movements. “I couldn’t sleep. Could I join you in the nest tonight?”

Viktor finished removing his clothes and fetched a pair of sleep pants from the closet before making his way toward the cage with an answer. “Of course little one. What kind of alpha would I be to deny my omega his nest?” After releasing the omega from the leash Viktor pulled him in for a comforting hug. “Something on your mind?”  
It wasn’t in Viktor’s nature to be quite so domestic, but he had read and knew omegas responded well to their mates being a bit more tender, especially when they were upset. Besides, Viktor would never say so out loud, but he himself enjoyed the feeling of calm that would wash through the back of his mind through the bond from his mate, and saw no reason not to indulge in the feeling when the two were alone. His omega slowly hugged him back and nuzzled his head into the alpha’s chest as he responded.

“We’ll just be away from the nest for the next few days.”

Viktor hummed as he guided his omega to their shared nest on the bed. Of course, he should have realized that being away from the nest would cause distress to the poor omega. But the idea of having so many powerful alphas within his home at one time, where they could potentially get into his room and see his mate’s nest – the idea was more than unsettling. His inner alpha would be more on edge than ever if the party had been at the manor. No, Phichit had made a wise judgment having the party on a cruise ship. Even if his darling little omega would be saddened by the absence of a nest.

~

Yuuri knew Viktor bought into stereotypical omega behaviors. Having been a traveling ballerina, going a few days without a nest wasn’t the biggest deal. Sure, his instincts would be itching under his skin to have even the smallest bit of a nest to comfort himself with while he was away, but nothing he couldn’t handle. Of course, it had been quite a while since he had gone any amount of time without a nest – and now he had _two_ nests where he was staying. On the other hand, being away from the nest may be easier since Viktor would be staying in the same bed as him on the cruise ship, and the permanent nest on the bed held their combined scents. Yuuri mentally shook his head as he settled down in the nest and felt the alpha slide in behind him. No, he needed to stop associating Viktor’s scent with safety and comfort.

Easier said than done.

But if Viktor believed that Yuuri was feeling a sort of withdrawal or longing for his nest, it would be easier for him to get the alpha to take him back to their room upon the cruiser. Phichit would already have everything set up and ready there for them. And then Yuuri could get his plan rolling.

~

Getting ready for the party had been a whole ordeal. Much more than Yuuri had thought it would be. After his shower with Viktor and a soak in the bath, Phichit had practically burst into their room carrying a garment bag. The beta had thrust the garment bag into Viktor’s hand and then all but pushed the alpha from the room, banning him from both the bedroom and a guest room Yuuri had yet to see. It had been a whirlwind as Phichit yanked the underwear from Yuuri’s hands before he could put them on as he stood in nothing but his robe. Phichit had rifled through his underwear drawer despite the omega’s protests as the beta chatted at a rate far faster than Yuuri could comprehend. He had handed Yuuri a pair of ivory seamless panties before rushing over to the shoes. Having selected the pair of gold stilettoes that had accompanied the gold gown the last time Yuuri had tried it on, Phichit opened the drawers that held the collars and cuffs.

“So a few choices,” the beta hurriedly said as Yuuri rushed to pull the panties on under his robe. “The diamond set would of course look _stunning,_ but we also decided on navy blue as the complementary color, so I was thinking this dark blue tanzanite would complement really well. Or this dark blue kyanite.”

“Not the sapphire?” Yuuri asked, curiously looking over the beta’s shoulders into the drawers. He often chose the sapphire set when he was around the manor, naturally drawn to the beautiful blue.

Phichit shook his head. “No, the sapphires are set in a platinum collar and cuff. It wouldn’t match your gold dress. But the tanzanite and the kyanite are both set in gold. Then you have several sets of diamonds, set in white, black, gold, and platinum. So, there’s no going wrong there.”

Yuuri didn’t ever think he would be spending so much time (let alone _any_ time) picking out a collar and cuff set to wear while his alpha more or less bragged about how he got Yuuri. Shaking his head Yuuri told Phichit to just pick what he thought was going to look the best in pictures next to Viktor’s suit. Selecting the tanzanite set and key, Phichit carried them with the shoes as he made a call on his cellphone.

“Hey, Chris,” Phichit spoke into the phone as he motioned for Yuuri to follow him. “Tell Viktor to go with the tanzanite tie clip that’s in with his suit. Perfect, I’ll see you after I’m done with Yuuri.”

And the whirlwind was back as Phichit rushed Yuuri down the long hallway until they reached a room on the right, Cao Bin following behind all the way. Upon entering the room, Yuuri barely had enough time to take in the cream and rose décor before three beta women were pulling him inside and sitting him at a vanity. One fussed over his hair while another began applying a moisturizer to his face, and the third began painting his toes.

“Phichit!” Yuuri called, overwhelmed by the number of people dotting on him. “What is this?”

Phichit laughed as he began arranging items on the bed beside a garment bag. “Relax, Yuuri! I’m getting you ready for the party!”

“Nobody will even see my toes!” Yuuri protested as he closed his eyes at the prompting of the beta before him.

“It’s for confidence!” Phichit protested right back. “It’ll match your fingernails! You can’t have your fingers done and not your toes!”

Yuuri sighed but decided it would be less tiring if he didn’t argue – he felt he knew Phichit well enough by this point to know that once the beta had an idea in mind, nothing could derail him. So, over the course of the next forty minutes, Yuuri allowed the betas to do what they felt needed to be done to prepare him. A shimmer, highlighter, and mascara were applied as light makeup to Yuuri’s face, his glasses switched out for contacts, and his hair was slicked back. His fingers and toes were painted a golden color with a shiny clear overcoat.

Before he could get a good look at himself, he was whisked away by Phichit to stand behind a privacy screen. The dress was removed from the garment bag and held out by Phichit for Yuuri to step into. It was just as snug as the first time, perfectly clinging to the curve of his hips and making his toned arms look delicate. Steadying his hand against the wall, Yuuri allowed Phichit to slip and strap the heals to his feet. When Yuuri stepped out from behind the screen, Phichit rushed to stand beside the beta women who were holding a full-length mirror out for Yuuri to get a good look at himself.

Yuuri felt every bit an omega goddess as he had the first time. No, _more_ so than he had before. With his hair pushed back from his face it was easy to see the sharpness of his cheekbones and jaw and the way it contrasted with how purely _omega_ the dress made his figure. When he turned to the side, the backless dress allowed for the muscles of his back to show the years of hard work he had dedicated to his profession, while the fabric clung to accentuate the plumpness of his rear.

Yuuri was a _strong, beautiful omega goddess._

And he would show Viktor who he was. No more would he be just some omega arm candy or a quick fuck. Yuuri would be confident in who he was – what he had achieved despite all odds.

And he would never let Viktor forget it.

“Ooo, Yuuri!” Phichit squealed, pulling Yuuri from his admiration of himself. “Just the final touches!”

Rushing up, Phichit fastened the cuffs over the ends of Yuuri’s sleeves, holding the fabric in place, and the collar over the neck of the dress. Everything fit perfectly, but Yuuri had no reason to believe Phichit would overlook something like that. After admiring himself once more, Phichit snapped a few pictures on his phone of Yuuri, took a few selfies of them together, and then asked the beta women to get a full-body shot of the friends. It was only after they had taken the pictures did Yuuri realize that at some point Phichit had changed his own attire into a dark maroon suit with black pointed dress shoes and styled his hair to the side. He looked good, but of course he did – Phichit had an eye for fashion.

“When did you change?” Yuuri asked as Phichit held the door open for him. Cao Bin barley gave the pair a second glance.

Phichit waved his hand as he tapped away on his phone. “When you were being attended to I stepped behind the screen and got changed. We have to hurry; the guys are already waiting in the entryway for us!”

It shouldn’t have been surprising that Phichit would make him have a grand entrance, but here he was, standing by the wall just before the grand staircase into the front hall. Waiting, as Phichit did his own entrance. Yuuri laughed silently as he heard Christophe wolf whistle the beta. Only when Phichit called his name loudly did Yuuri step into the open. Halting at the top of the stairs as Phichit had instructed, he saw the beta and Christophe standing off to the side beside Yura and another alpha he believed was named Otabek. And there, standing in the center of the entryway a few feet from the base of the stairs, stood Viktor. Tall and muscular with his hair perfectly in place in its usual style, there was no mistaking him as an alpha in the dark blue suit. He looked every bit as powerful as Yuuri felt.

Through the bond Yuuri was hit with a surge of emotions, all competing to be the most dominant emotion. Pride seemed to be winning, though the unmasked lust was right there, closely followed by satisfaction. As he descended the stairs, the emotions seemed to continue to build, pulsing through his bond and giving Yuuri one of the greatest highs he’s ever felt. It was like his first solo dance, when he finished and had a thunderous applause. Euphoric. As he took the last few stairs, Viktor stepped up and extended a hand. His tie was gold, held to his black shirt by a tanzanite tie clip, perfectly matched with Yuuri’s cuffs and collar.

“Words,” Viktor spoke softly, and Yuuri could feel the sincerity through the bond, “cannot describe how ethereal you look my dear.”

A blush quickly made its way to Yuuri’s face as he took the alpha’s hand. “Thank you.”  
A gagging sound came from the side and the bonded pair turned just in time to see Phichit hit Yura over the back of his head.

“Ow! What was that for?” Yura yelled, turning his scowl upon the beta.

“Be nice! Today is about them!” Phichit scolded as he settled back at Christophe’s side.

Yura began grumbling as he made his way toward the door. It didn’t escape Yuuri’s notice that he and Otabek had completely matching suits – gray with a dark blue shirt and gray tie. Only in the SUV that he and Viktor shared with the two younger alphas did Yuuri notice that the only difference between the outfit of the two was that Yura had a tiger print tie clip. The accessory made Yuuri smile – it was very Yura. He could see the younger man being compared to such a large cat.

It almost took longer to exit the Nikiforov property than it did to reach the harbor of the Gulf of Finland, where the cruise ship was docked. But when they arrived, Yuuri was blown away by the size of the ship. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but a multi-level cruiser was not it.

“Impressive, right?” Phichit asked as he approached from the car he shared with Christophe. A third man stepped out from the driver’s seat whom Yuuri did not recognize. “It’s nearly identical to the Symphony of the Seas. For tonight we have the pool covered with thick glass so it can be used as a floor for the party.”

“That’s a nice touch,” Viktor complemented, steering Yuuri toward the ship. “It will give a walking on water feel, don’t you think?”

Yuuri hummed his agreement as he clung to Viktor’s arm as they boarded, worried he would twist his ankle and ruin his plan for that night. As they ascended a gust of fresh air made Yuuri acutely aware that this was the first time he had been outside since he was abducted from Canada. It felt good, the wind on his face and the feel of cool fall air in his lungs. There were no guests yet, though there were plenty of workers bustling about carrying luggage to different rooms. He knew Phichit had come by earlier and personally dropped off his and Viktor’s luggage, as well as set everything up that Yuuri had asked of him. When he caught the beta’s eyes the younger man winked at him, as if knowing what Yuuri was thinking about. Yuuri smiled and Viktor’s thumb came to brush across his cheek, pulling his attention to the man. They were nearly the same height now, though Yuuri suspected that Viktor’s already tall stature was boosted by the soles of his shoes, to avoid having the omega be taller.

“What’s on your mind little one?” Viktor’s teasing tone gave way that he knew Yuuri was up to something, and Yuuri just hoped he didn’t know exactly. Phichit swore he wouldn’t tell anyone his plan.

“Nothing, just admiring what a good job Phichit did,” Yuuri covered. “But why such a large ship?”

Viktor hummed as he led Yuuri around, taking note how the small shops and cafes were already open, despite no guests being aboard the ship. “As you know, the guests attending are rather high profile. Not all of them get along, so the multiple floors for guest rooms makes it easier to separate those who may have a less than agreeable stay if they were housed near one another.”

Worry began to settle into Yuuri’s stomach. “What do you mean they don’t get along? Viktor, is this safe?”

Viktor released a small amount of calming pheromones as he patted Yuuri’s hand that was at his elbow. “Of course, little one. I wouldn’t let you be somewhere unless I knew it was safe for you. There is a sort of…agreement…that everyone has – gatherings of celebration or mourning are no times for bloodshed. Everyone will be on their best behavior.”

That explanation sounded almost too good to be true. “So, what you’re saying, is that everybody just _pretends_ they don’t have problems with anybody else?”

Viktor shook his head as he brought Yuuri into one of the small cafes upon the ship. Without ordering two cups were placed on their table, and a strong herbal tea was poured into Yuuri’s cup. Black coffee was poured into Viktor’s own cup, but he held his hand up before the cup was full. Once the server had left, Viktor removed a small flask from the inside pocket of his suit jacket, winked at Yuuri, and poured a fair amount of what smelled like Cognac into the brew.

“No, my dear, nobody pretends to get along with one another. It’s more of an avoidance,” Viktor explained as he used the spoon on his saucer to stir in the alcohol. He nodded for Yuuri to drink his own tea. “But rest assured, there will be no disturbances during tonight’s party. None of the guests attending would want to lose my business.”

“And that would be?” Yuuri tried to sound genuinely interested in the alpha’s line of work, but it came out sounding as if he were digging for information.

Viktor gave a millionaire smile, one full of deception while giving away that he knew far too much – as if he had been asked the question hundreds of times before. “I own several large relator and construction companies. Along with several other small companies.” When Yuuri blinked in surprise at the response, Viktor outright laughed, setting his coffee cup down. “At least, that’s the answer we’ll be giving the reporter later. And while that’s all true, we both know they’re just cover companies. So does he, in case you thought you could sell me out.”

Yuuri swallowed and nodded his head, suddenly nervous by the intense look Viktor was giving him. “I’ve enjoyed taking you out so far my Yuuri. Don’t make me keep you locked inside forever by doing something foolish. _You will not do or say anything this weekend that would embarrass me._ Do you understand?”

The words held a deeper meaning, and Yuuri could physically feel the alpha command laced within them. Viktor may have taken Yuuri from the manor, but he was giving the omega no chances. That much was clear.

 _“Do you understand?”_ Viktor practically growled, impatience filtering through the bond.

Yuuri let out a small whimper against his will, his head automatically tilting to show where his bonding mark would be upon his neck. “Yes, alpha.”

Viktor leaned back in his chair, a pleased feeling replacing the impatience, allowing Yuuri to resume his previous position. It scared him, the power Viktor had over him with just a few words, or a tone of his voice. He had nearly forgotten, since Viktor had not used his sway with alpha command since their bonding. Yuuri would do well not to forget that just because Viktor was being kind to him, taking care of him, that as far as Viktor saw him, he was little more than property. He had hoped he would be able to change the alpha’s mind, but such an old way of thinking was difficult to change in others – especially when the laws of the country supported those views.

When Phichit called Viktor’s phone and announced that the first of the guests were pulling up to the harbor, Viktor once more took Yuuri’s hand in his arm and guided the omega toward the entrance to the ship. Just as they arrived, two familiar faces were boarding.

“Viktor,” JJ greeted, his black suit looking sharp. “Congratulations, once more, on your bonding. Your Yuuri is a great catch.”

Viktor laughed and agreed with JJ as Yuuri gave Seung-gil a friendly hug. The other omega wore a long black gown with a silver belt around the waist, and complemented JJ’s suit beautifully. He did not miss the presence of the silver collar and cuffs the omega now wore for the party. Before JJ led Seung-gil toward the bar, Yuuri promised to catch up with Seung-gil later in the party. At the bar, JJ could be seen starting up a conversation with Yura, who looked less than pleased to be being talked to, prompting a small chuckle from Yuuri. He would have to be sure to thank Yura for coming.

Viktor explained who each guest was as they were introduced – some he recognized, most he didn’t. He recognized the stern looking older man who was often seen entering Viktor’s office or would come to take Yura from the library, only for Yuuri to hear the smaller alpha be scolded for something or other. Apparently, it was mostly neglecting duties around the manor. Something about a red room once, though Yuuri assumed it was similar to the gold sitting room Phichit favored. His name was Yakov, which Yuuri swore he would remember, and was accompanied by his alpha wife Lilia. Yuuri liked her. She seemed stern, but he had a wonderful conversation about ballet with the woman. She claimed to only have danced as an extra-curricular activity during her schooling years, but also admitted to enjoying the sport a great deal.

 _“Perhaps in another life,”_ she had said. Yuuri hoped in the next life she got to fulfil that dream.

Yuuri finally got to meet Mila – the one who had taken Makkachin somewhere Viktor wouldn’t tell him before his arrival at the manor. He had heard several things about the female beta, such as how she was childhood friends with Viktor, but nobody had mentioned her beauty. She had short red hair and large eyes. Her grip was strong when she shook Yuuri’s hand, eluding to her small frame having no hindrance on the life she lived within the Bravata. There were many others Yuuri was introduced to, but seconds after hearing their names and who they were he wouldn’t have been able to repeat them if his life depended upon it. Except for a few others, who caught his attention.

The first were a pair of twins from Italy. They were arguing as they boarded the ship, but upon seeing the bonded pair the female half rushed forward and embraced first Viktor, and then Yuuri. She rambled on about how happy she was for Viktor and _just so absolutely cute_ Yuuri was. The male half of the twins grumbled behind her, and barely avoided an insult to the omega when Viktor gave a firm warning. Apparently, Sara was the alpha head of the Italian mafia, and was the _only_ known powerhouse mafia head. Her brother, Michele, was older, but his emotional instability led to his younger twin sister being named the head of the family when their father retired. Michele, as it turned out, as also a professional assassin for hire, though he took very few jobs that would have him away from his sister for long, as he was also her personal body guard.

He scared Yuuri, and he made a note to avoid him as much as possible.

Sara had asked him about if a man named Emil was at the party, but when Yuuri confessed he was unsure, Viktor cut in and explained that Emil would likely be near Christophe. When Sara waved goodbye and skipped into the party, Michele calling after her as he gave chase, Viktor informed him that Emil was Christophe’s personal assistant. Yuuri supposed that was who drove them to the party. He would have to remember him.

The last noteworthy person was someone Yuuri remembered seeing in the news several times back in Japan. A fellow male omega named Minami. He was often seen in the news turning down mating proposals. Yuuri thought he was the son of a big-shot politician in Japan, but like Viktor, it turned out that was a cover-story. Minami was by all rights the only son of the Yakuza – the Japanese mafia. While every other omega at the party, bonded or not, wore both a collar and a set of cuffs, Minami wore only the collar. He said he wore it for protection from forced bonding – something he felt he especially had to be on guard for with both his cover personality of the politician’s son as well as the only child of the head of the Yakuza. Yuuri wanted to be weary of the other omega, but the biological pull had Yuuri instantly relaxed around him. Besides that, Minami gushed about how much he enjoyed Yuuri’s performances. Particularly his performance in Tokyo the previous year of La Bayadère. He had taken out a still shot of Yuuri during the performance – the one used for promotional business – and asked him to sign it. Yuuri blushed, signed the picture, and thanked him. It was easily the oddest experience Yuuri had experienced that night.

During a small break in the mingling where Viktor brought them to get something to eat at the tables of food, Yuuri took notice of the décor in the evening light. There were soft lights strung above their heads, illuminating the party without being harsh. The tall tables all had gold tablecloths, as did the tables holding the food. The plates were dark blue and the napkins gold. The more important guests mingled at the tables and within the center, while the personal body guards waited around the edge of the party along the railing. Yuuri took notice how Michele was scowling as Sara laughed loudly along with Emil. Out of the corner of his eye Yuuri saw Yura leaving the deck toward the guest rooms. When he turned to look, he saw Otabek following not far behind. There was something there, Yuuri was sure of it. Although he could be wrong, they could just be good friends. Yuuri didn’t suppose the fiery young alpha had many friends aside from the stoic alpha.

The party was pretty; and if it weren’t for the unfortunate circumstances from which the party came to be, it would have been everything Yuuri wanted and more from a celebration of his bonding. However, he also would have preferred the party not been something so demeaning as a _meet the omega_ party. And he much rather would have had his family and friends attend. A wave of sadness overcame Yuuri as he ate, standing across from Viktor at a tall table. Yuuri missed his parents, and his sister. And Minako and his childhood friends. He was used to going longer periods of time without seeing them when he was away on tour, but being surrounded by so many people he didn’t know really drove it in just how alone he was in Russia.

He didn’t even truly know his mate.

“Yuuri?” Viktor asked, voice stern but holding a hint of concern beneath. “I can feel your emotions little one, what’s bothering you? Was it someone at the party?”

Yuuri shook his head and held a piece of sashimi up with his chopstick. “No, just wishing this piece of fish was a bit of pork cutlet is all.”

Viktor gave a chuckle and Yuuri hoped he had managed to fool the alpha. After all, based on the alpha’s views of omegas, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think he would believe omegas became upset over such small details. At least, Yuuri hoped it wasn’t a stretch. He wasn’t used to lying, but remembering Viktor’s words the day he bought Yuuri from the auction all those weeks ago had him less than willing to open up about how he was missing his family.

“Come little one, finish that last piece and then we have to thank our guests before the interview with Hisashi.”

Yuuri popped the last piece of fish into his mouth and quickly chewed, washing it down with a gulp of cold water he hoped would cool his nerves. As Viktor guided Yuuri toward the front of the party, the alpha grasped two glasses of champagne from a passing waiter. Passing one to Yuuri he took the microphone that was handed to him, and waited for the quartette to quiet down.

“Don’t forget to smile,” Viktor told him quietly before raising the microphone with a large smile of his own. “Welcome! Thank you all once more for coming out this evening! I know we have not yet had a chance to speak with all of you, but I promise you will all have a chance to fawn over my omega almost as much as I do.”

A small laugh spread across the crowd, and Yuuri forced a small chuckle of his own. His nerves were running on high under his skin, his inner omega repeatedly reminding him of the earlier command not to embarrass his alpha.

“Many of you have asked how I managed to acquire such a stunning mate,” Viktor continued. “If you’re looking for a future mate, I do have to recommend the man who helped me find mine – Jean-Jacques Leroy.”

Yuuri thought he was going to be sick to his stomach. Viktor was promoting the very business that condemned Yuuri to his current life. But, he supposed, it was a very different perspective from Viktor’s point of view. From his side, he gained a mate. For Yuuri, it felt closer to life in prison. The thought made him raise only his eyes slightly from looking out at the crowd, taking in the view of the stars while he could. Who knew how long it would be before he would get to see them without the obstruction of a bulletproof window.

Viktor spoke a bit more, though Yuuri wouldn’t have been able to repeat any of it. Only when Viktor was raising his glass in a toast to his bond with Yuuri did the omega snap back to attention and raise his own glass of champagne to his lips. It had been so long since he had tasted alcohol, that the bubbles burned going down, but he managed to finish his glass before pulling it from his lips. Viktor laughed at him and took his glass, placing it on the tray of a waiter who came to retrieve their empty glasses.

“Careful little one, wouldn’t want you getting drunk.” Viktor led Yuuri to a table slightly out of the way of the rest, where a man wearing a dark green suit jacket over black dress pants stood, a camera around his neck. “Hisashi, I would like to introduce you to my Yuuri.”

“Good to finally meet you,” the man said, taking out a notepad and pen from his inner pocket. “Couldn’t believe it when Christophe’s mate called me earlier this week, telling me that Viktor Nikiforov was hosting a party to introduce his mate. So, tell me.”

Yuuri was confused about why Hisashi didn’t continue. Phrases like _tell me_ often had a question that followed. But Viktor began speaking immediately.

“My Yuuri was in Canada, as I’m sure you know if you’ve done your research,” Viktor began, his hand finding its way around Yuuri’s waist. “He was going to try out for a ballet there. He met Leroy’s omega, what’s his name little one?”

“Seung-gil,” Yuuri offered, slightly offended that after all this time Viktor couldn’t remember the name of a man Yuuri considered a friend.

“Yes, that’s the one. Anyway, the pair became friends, and he began hanging out with the omega and his two alphas. Leroy recognized that my Yuuri and I would make such a wonderful pair, that he called me up and I just had to fly out to meet him. Would you like to tell the rest?”

Yuuri startled at being so included. Looking at Viktor, the alpha gave him a small nod of encouragement before he turned back to Hisashi. “Um, well, the first thing I noticed when Viktor arrived was how handsome he was. Easily the most handsome alpha I had ever seen. It was like a magnet was pulling us together.” Yuuri tried keeping the story as truthful as possible, to avoid being caught in a lie and embarrass his alpha. His inner omega was practically calling the shots for what he was saying. “My omega wanted to be with him all the time, so much so that when Viktor was returning to Russia, I just couldn’t resist going with.” Yuuri flashed a smile toward Viktor as he finished, “He kept my heart captive.”

A flash went off and Yuuri felt like he came back to himself. Blinking a few times, the words he spoke felt like they came from a stranger. What he wanted to say was that Viktor forced him to Russia without his permission, but the humming under his skin of the alpha command prevented him.

“The readers will love that,” Hisashi commented as he scribbled some notes in his notepad. He glanced up at Yuuri. “Did you know who Viktor was when you met him?”  
Yuuri shook his head, the words forcing their way past his lips, “No, I only knew his first name when he introduced himself. I didn’t know his last name or that he owned so many businesses here in Russia until we arrived at his manor. It was quite a shock, seeing the size of it.”

A feeling of pride filtered through the bond and Yuuri gave a pleased smile. He was doing a good job so far, but he hoped the interview would go over quickly.  
Hisashi laughed, “Yah, the place is pretty big. I’m sure a big shot ballerina can fit into all kinds of places and positions for Viktor to breed you, huh?”

Yuuri knew his feeling of being uncomfortable reached Viktor through the bond when the alpha’s hand tightened at his waist. The comment felt like it came out of left field.

“I believe my Yuuri would be more comfortable if we kept what we do privately just that – _private,”_ Viktor emphasized tightly. “I thought you were a fan of my Yuuri.”

That surprised Yuuri, but Hisashi nodded at the claim. “I am. A big fan. National Treasure Omega Ballerina Yuuri Katsuki – well, Nikiforov now. Hard not to be a fan of an omega who rose so quickly to the title of National Treasure. Besides, I bet every male alpha and beta in Japan has fantasized about bending his tight ass over on stage at least once, right?”

The hand around Yuuri’s waist was gone and around Hisashi’s throat so quickly that he could still feel the warmth of Viktor’s touch as the crowd around them began to notice the commotion.

 _“Yuuri is my mate and you will treat him as an extension of myself and my authority!”_ Viktor growled, teeth bared as sweat broke out on Hisashi’s forehead. _“Did I make myself clear?”_

Hisashi choked out a small yes before Viktor pushed him back and declared the interview over. The beta quickly grabbed his notepad from the table and rushed off toward the guest rooms. Yuuri wasn’t sure exactly what happened. A few lewd comments weren’t anything he wasn’t used to, being a public figure and a male omega. But…Viktor had reacted so _strongly._ Deep within him Yuuri could feel slick begin to build; his omega preening and dancing at the display of pure strength from his alpha to protect him. Yuuri watched as Viktor took a deep inhale through his nose as his head slowly turned to face the omega, pupils dilating so much the blue was nearly invisible. Without a word, Viktor took Yuuri’s hand and began pulling him toward the other door that led to the rooms.

Rushing through the halls, Viktor stopped before a gold door. As soon as the pair were inside and the door was bolted, Viktor had Yuuri locked in a kiss. Lips met lips in a heated kiss as Viktor hiked Yuuri’s dress above his knees so he could lift the omega up and pin him against the door. Yuuri’s head was spinning and his inner omega was praising both himself for doing such a good job during the interview, but also for having an alpha who cared so much about him. Viktor’s tongue invaded his mouth and Yuuri moaned into the kiss when the alpha’s tongue ran over the sensitive top. Only when Viktor dug in his pocket for the key Phichit had given him at the manor and unlocked Yuuri’s collar did clarity come back to him.

“Wait,” Yuuri gasped, pushing gently at Viktor’s chest before he could begin kissing Yuuri’s bond bark and turn his mind to putty. Viktor opened his mouth to protest but Yuuri rushed on, “I have a surprise for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is the one many of you have been waiting for! ;) Also, I plan on having the first spin-off chapter with Yura x Otabek done either tomorrow or Thursday, and the second spin-off chapter done either Friday or Saturday. Then next week I'll have the next chapter :)
> 
> As always, I love hearing your feedback and what you thought!


	28. The Dancer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Viktor, Yuuri
> 
> Eros

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is some brief Yuuri x Viktor smut at the end of the chapter, and as always is between BOLDED words. But once you see the first set of bolded words it goes till the end. So, if that's not your thing, just skip the rest of the chapter :)
> 
> The spin-off smut chapter with Yura x Otabek takes place during chapter 27 and is titled The Unusual Pairing and is in the collection of this work.
> 
> The spin-off smut chapter of JJ x Seung-gil takes place after this chapter (28) and is titled The Mile-High Club and is also in the collection of this work.
> 
> Neither are required to enjoy the story, just extra smut :)

Viktor’s curiosity won over his desire to be buried within his mate at that moment. There would be plenty of time for that later, after all. So, Viktor had allowed the smaller man to guide him toward the bed to sit on the end, and removed the cuffs and collar as requested, before he disappeared into the en suite bath. After several minutes Viktor began to feel impatient, but before he could speak up the door opened once more to reveal a sight worth waiting for.

His Yuuri returned to the suite dressed as the third deadly sin of lust. The entire piece was black, save for a select few blue crystals on the omega’s right shoulder and left hip. The left side of the top half was a solid fabric which came down into a fingerless glove. But the right side. Oh, the right side revealed his omega’s body beneath black netting, which mirrored the left into another fingerless glove. A strip of the same fabric covered his mate’s pectoral and slimmed to the waist, small strips of fabric crossing over the stomach. A partial skirt finished the top half on the right, resting above a pair of black leggings with winding netting on the left leg that hugged the delicious thighs Viktor wanted to sink his teeth into. Finishing off the look was a set of pointe shoes in black satin, tied into a bow on the outside of his ankles.

He looked stunning.

But above all else, the look of determination upon his omega’s face captivated Viktor. This gorgeous man was his mate, and Viktor couldn’t wait to see what he would do next.

Viktor waited with bated breath as his omega crossed to the side of the room and pressed something on a small remote. When he returned to the center of the room he posed before a soft Spanish tune came from the speakers around the room. Immediately his Yuuri locked eyes with Viktor as his tongue licked his lips and his hands rubbed down his body, showing off his wonderful omega curves. Viktor clenched his hands on his knees feeling a foreign desire to have it be _his_ hands running over the omega overtake him. But if that was how his omega had chosen to begin his performance, Viktor wanted to see the end.

His Yuuri winked at him before turning away, skirt spinning with him. While his hands were moving with his body, Viktor was drawn to the omega’s feet. Intricate foot work made the omega look as if he were weightless, standing on the pointe shoe and quickly alternating feet as he jumped vertically during a spin. Viktor had never seen anything quite like it. He was used to ballet being slow, and more of a show of flexibility than technical skill. Although, admittedly, it had been several years since Viktor had seen his last ballet. When his eyes scanned back to his Yuuri’s face, the smaller man was smiling. Almost as if he were lost in his own world.

No. Not lost. This was where he belonged. And Viktor would almost admit a desire to see his Yuuri perform on a true stage.

His Yuuri used the entirety of the suite, utilizing the space in a way Viktor would never have thought. Spin after spin the omega made his way around the room, displaying his flexibility through the straight lines his legs would make. Pheromones filled the air the longer the omega’s performance went on, only serving to pull the alpha further into the dance. And when his Yuuri created a _T_ shape with his body while standing on one pointe shoe, the other extended out as he leaned his body to the side, creating the opportunity for his body to spin, Viktor knew he was done for. He wanted to watch his omega dance for the rest of his life.

A small jump turned into another spin, timed perfectly with the violin in the music. Viktor watched as his Yuuri danced in small steps backwards, eyes glued to the smaller man. Toned arms encircled his frame as the omega leapt into the air and spun three times before landing on one pointe. If he thought the omega’s spins and turns had him trapped, Viktor would willingly submit to the omega’s jumps. The power behind each movement to propel his body through the air and land with perfect grace had Viktor practically drooling. Yes, he would have to watch his Yuuri perform this for him again. And next time, he would be sure to record the masterpiece that it was.

Another powerful jump sent his Yuuri across the room with four full mid-air rotations, before landing on one flat foot. He transitioned seemingly effortlessly into more foot work, alternating between flat feet and the pointe. Several high kicks in quick succession had placed the omega in the far corner of the room, before two small jumps and spins led to another _T_ spin. One last spin and eye-catching foot work placed the omega where he had started. The music increasing in pace before cutting off as his Yuuri crossed his arms with his right hand over his left pectoral and his left over his right shoulder. He was panting, with sweat beading where a few strands of hair had fallen out of place to brush against his forehead.

And he had never looked more attractive.

~

Yuuri was panting. Adrenalin rushed through his veins and his pulse thundered in his ears. He felt _alive._ It had been so long since he had performed the piece in full; and oh, how he had missed the feeling. _On Love: Eros_ was the piece he had intended to audition with in Canada, and nobody but Minako had ever seen him perform it. He had worked for weeks to perfect the timing of each of his moves. The _attitude, assemble, grande jeté, pirouette, and tour en l’air._ All of it had taken years to perfect. Yuuri knew it was good. No, better than good. Yuuri knew the performance was worthy of his title. Viktor would have to see that. Would have to see Yuuri.

“My Yuuri, that was wonderful.”

Yuuri looked up and saw Viktor stand and remove his suit jacket and tie, carelessly dropping it to the floor beside the bed. The alpha crossed the room in long strides to reach him, but Yuuri held his hand up, signaling the taller man to stop. “I am,” Yuuri worked to catch his breath, “Yuuri Katsuki, National Treasure Omega Ballerina of Japan. I am more than some trophy omega.”

There, he had said it – what he had been trying to work the courage to say for the last several weeks since the bond. He couldn’t believe he had finally said the word aloud, but he had, and there was no taking them back. Yuuri had turned Viktor’s fastball into a fly ball, and all he could do now was see if it was a homerun or an out.

Viktor seemed to let Yuuri’s words sink in, before he smiled. Yuuri concentrated on his bond, trying to feel anything from the alpha that would warn him of what was to come. But all he felt was…warmth. Like a full-body hug spreading from the bond mark at his shoulder. He couldn’t identify what the alpha was feeling, but the calming effect the emotion had on Yuuri told him it wasn’t bad.

“Of course,” Viktor told him, one hand reaching up to cup Yuuri’s face gently. “I’ve known for a long time now that you wouldn’t simply lay back and be just like any other submissive omega. No, you were made for so much more than that.”

Yuuri wet his lips with his tongue as he considered the alpha. “And what’s that?”

Viktor’s smile grew as his hand slid to rest upon Yuuri’s shoulder. “You, my dear, are former Japanese National Treasure Omega Ballerina Yuuri Nikiforov, mate of the Pakhan of the Russian bravata, made official by the bond mark upon your shoulder.” Yuuri felt his stomach drop at the words, but Viktor continued. “You were made to rule. To stand by my side and rule the underbelly of Russia.”

Yuuri didn’t want that. He didn’t want anything to do with the crazy life he had been thrown into headfirst. He couldn’t do it, whatever it was Viktor was asking of him. But the confidence the alpha had in Yuuri was flooding the bond, fighting to overthrow the omega’s anxiety and doubts. The voice of Yura surfaced in the back of his mind, telling Yuuri that to survive, he would have to adapt.

“I’m not ready,” Yuuri settled on, hoping to buy himself time.

Viktor let out a chuckle, blue eyes twinkling in the light of the room. “Of course not. Do not worry little one, we have a lifetime to ease you into my world. I know how sensitive you omegas can be about change.”

Yuuri managed to avoid rolling his eyes. Reacting to change was entirely dependent upon the person, but if the old-school misconception of the fragility of omegas was what was keeping Yuuri from becoming a member of the mafia, then he wasn’t going to rush to correct it.

“More importantly,” Viktor’s voice dropped low as he ran his hands down to grasp Yuuri’s waist, “that performance you gave just down should have been a sin. If you were trying to seduce me, you succeeded.”

Yuuri felt his cheeks flush with more than the heat of physical activity. “I was trying to show you why I should have that dance studio.”

“Hmm,” Viktor hummed as he brought his nose to nuzzle behind Yuuri’s ear, the omega’s hands reaching up to rest against the alpha’s chest. “I believe there was a condition to that request.”  
Yuuri licked his lips nervously as his hands clutched at the alpha’s dress shirt. “I was hoping my performance would sway you.”

Viktor gave a breathy chuckle, warm air caressing Yuuri’s ear and making him shiver. “You have worked quite hard. I said I would guide you the first time, but perhaps a demonstration would be more beneficial.”

Yuuri unconsciously pulled the alpha closer when the warm muscle of Viktor’s tongue licked behind his ear. Viktor kissed his way across Yuuri’s face to capture his lips as he lifted the omega into his arms. Yuuri had wanted to have a serious conversation with Viktor, but his inner omega was pushing his way to the front of his mind as alpha pheromones flooded his senses. Viktor was an amazing kisser, and a thorough lover. It made it hard for Yuuri to resist, when he recalled he wasn’t going to anymore. No, he was a stronger Yuuri now. At least, he was going to pretend to be until he convinced himself he was. And if the alpha was getting something out of their time together in the bedroom, then so was Yuuri.

**Yuuri kissed back in earnest, earning a pleased growl from the alpha as he was lowered to the bed.** Viktor unzipped the back of Yuuri’s dance outfit and carefully slid the garment from his body, revealing his torso. Slowly Viktor kissed his way down Yuuri’s throat and chest, before sitting back on his ankles as he slid a hand down the omega’s leg. With more care than Yuuri thought was possible, Viktor untied first one pointe shoe and then the other, sliding them from the omega’s feet. When Viktor bent forward and placed a kiss to the top of Yuuri’s foot before sliding his tongue between his toes, Yuuri yelped and jerked his foot from the alpha’s hold., earning him an amused chuckle.

“Relax my dear,” Viktor told him, voice gentle. “The party is still going on, which means today is still about you. Let me show you how much I liked your performance.”

Oh, Viktor must have liked it very much. He slid the leggings and dance belt from Yuuri’s legs before he kissed his way to the apex of his thighs. His tongue slid over the sensitive skin of his balls and underside of his member, pulling a long, low moan from the omega’s lips. He had been in the alpha’s mouth during his heat, but the alpha hadn’t spent the time to work Yuuri up, rather seemed to rush him to completion. But now, Viktor was taking his time as he wound his tongue around the tip, before allowing the head to slip between his lips with a gentle suck. The inside of Viktor’s mouth was hotter than Yuuri thought it would be, and he bucked his hips from the mattress, fingers of his right hand tangling in silver locks. The smaller size of the male omega made it easy for Viktor to take his length, and Yuuri was grateful as the alpha’s tongue worked against the base.

Viktor kept a steady rhythm as his hands held Yuuri in place by the hips, his head bobbing up and down slowly as his tongue pushed and massaged Yuuri’s member. The tingling started in Yuuri’s balls and seemed to slowly grow second by second. Never in his life had Yuuri had such a slow orgasm. He wanted to rush it – wanted to feel the bliss of exploding pleasure. But Viktor didn’t let him. He kept Yuuri on the edge, pulling back and slowly working his mouth over him until Yuuri thought he was going to weep.

“Viktor, please, I need to cum,” he cried, eyes screwed shut as he concentrated on the pleasure.

A hum sounded from the alpha when he took Yuuri all the way in once more, the vibrations of his throat working through Yuuri and pulling a whimper from the omega’s lips. Viktor kept his slow pace, but when Yuuri approached the edge of orgasm once more he didn’t pull away. Yuuri thought he was falling. The slow build of pleasure shot forth and washed over his body with euphoria as he spilled deep within Viktor’s throat.

It was easily the most intense orgasm Yuuri could recall having, and while he hadn’t been the one doing the work, he was left breathless. He slowly released his hold on Viktor’s hair and let his hand drop to the mattress beside him. When he felt Viktor pull off his softening member he opened his eyes to the sight of Viktor using his thumb to collect the barest bit of cum from his lips. Locking eyes with Yuuri, Viktor smiled and licked the white bead from his thumb. The sight seemed to go straight to Yuuri’s groin, and he flushed as he felt himself begin to stir once more.

**“Do not worry little one,”** Viktor purred as he began unbuttoning his dress shirt, “there’s an encore.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know it's not very long but I hope you all enjoyed it anyway! :) Yuuri was dancing to Eros in this chapter :) I kept watching and pausing the performance from Episode 6 and tried to keep the dance version as close to the ice skating version as I could, so I hope it worked out and you could all visualize it! :) Also, we finally got to see a little of Viktor admitting what he wants from Yuuri :)
> 
> As always, I love hearing from you guys and what you thought and what you want from the story! :) The next chapter we'll get to see the news article that Hisashi will write on the party :)


	29. The News

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is usually where I write who the chapter is about, but you'll see :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's short, but it's basically just a news article ^.^'

#  **Viktor Nikiforov Settles Down with Japanese Treasure!**

> Monday, October 8th
> 
> By: Hisashi Morooka
> 
> Over the weekend Viktor Nikiforov, founder and owner of several multi-million dollar companies here in Russia, held a _Meet the Omega_ party for his new mate, ballet star and Japanese National Treasure, Yuuri Nikiforov (nee Katsuki). V Nikiforov held a private party aboard a luxury cruise ship off the coast of Saint Petersburg where close business partners and friends were in attendance to celebrate the pair’s bonding.
> 
> During an exclusive interview the pair shared their story. While in Canada, Y Nikiforov met and befriended the omega mate of an associate of V Nikiforov, both of whom were in attendance of the party. Believing the pair to be a good match, V Nikiforov’s friend called him up, and V Nikiforov took a chance and was on his way to Canada.
> 
> _“The first thing I noticed when Viktor arrived was how handsome he was,”_ Y Nikiforov easily recalled as he smiled at his mate. _“Easily the most handsome alpha I had ever seen. It was like a magnet was pulling us together…When Viktor was returning to Russia, I just couldn’t resist going with.”_
> 
> Y Nikiforov spoke of the strong pull from his omega side wanting to be with V Nikiforov, and how glad he was he listened to his instincts. He also spoke of how he didn’t know who V Nikiforov was, and his shock of finding how successful the alpha was in Russia.
> 
> With Y Nikiforov’s heat only three weeks away after their departure from Canada, the pair’s courtship was one for the books.
> 
> Literally.
> 
> Y Nikiforov has spent many days in V Nikiforov’s private library while the alpha was at work, and reports is one of his favorite rooms of the home. Since bonding during the omega’s most recent heat, Y Nikiforov enjoys quiet mornings in the library, and luncheons filled with laughter with newfound friends.
> 
> But many readers will wonder – what of Y Nikiforov’s career? Well, there may not be an answer to that question quite yet. V Nikiforov commented as the ship cruised back toward land on the second day, that the pair has yet to discuss Y Nikiforov’s future. Instead, Y Nikiforov remains physically active and even practices past routines for the alpha. Despite their fast-paced bonding, the pair are taking their relationship slow, and allowing Y Nikiforov to adjust to his new bonded life in Russia.
> 
> Stay tuned for more exclusive interviews with Russia’s wealthiest, no longer wealthiest bachelor, Viktor Nikiforov. 

~

~

Mari read the short news article over and over on her phone, hands trembling as she looked at the multiple photos of her brother and some alpha aboard the largest ship she had ever seen. Viktor Nikiforov. Her brother was photographed wearing a backless golden dress, and in a close-up shot of the pair’s profiles while they spoke with a woman with red hair, she could see the barest of a freshly healed bond mark on his left shoulder as it peaked out beneath the high-collared gown.

She couldn’t believe it. _Wouldn’t_ believe it! Her brother! _Bonded?_ And to some alpha he never even brought home to meet them, after knowing the man for only a matter of _weeks!_ The photos were all clearly of her brother (and that alpha), but nothing in the article sounded anything remotely like him. Even the direct quotes were odd. Mari had known her brother since he was born – nearly twenty-three years now! And _never_ would he abandon his livelihood for some alpha he just met. And not tell his family about it! She would bet her life on it.

But there, in every photo, was very clearly the same brother she was willing to gamble her life that he wouldn’t do something so reckless and impulsive. Something was wrong there, and she was going to find out.

“Mom, dad!” Mari called, pushing her way into the kitchen of the onsen. “Close the Inn and pack your bags, we’re going to Russia. I found Yuuri.”


	30. The Plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri, Viktor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, with any smut there is BOLDED words. If smut isn't your thing, once you hit the first set of bolded words skip to the second set and continue from there :)

Yuuri wasn’t sure if he had made a mistake or not. Viktor had showered Yuuri in a night full of mind-numbing sex, having pulled orgasms from the omega almost as if he were in heat. And then on Sunday, the second day of the party, Viktor had finished their rounds of speaking with guests and had included Yuuri more in conversation. Even if several of those conversations were simply Viktor speaking in English rather than Russian so Yuuri could understand what was being said about him and their bonding. It was…odd. While the alpha had never treated Yuuri _poorly,_ per se, he also hadn’t been so lax about his status as an omega.

It was like Viktor was treating Yuuri for who he was rather than what he was. And Yuuri wasn’t sure how to handle that. He had spent the five weeks after his heat and bonding to Viktor being wary of the alpha. It frustrated Yuuri to no end to think that his entire situation could have been changed simply by stating what he wanted. And while Yuuri knew he wouldn’t be getting his dance studio in the manor without meeting Viktor’s condition, he had managed to convince the alpha to allow Yuuri a few more freedoms within his everyday life. And all Yuuri needed to do was provide a reason why he should have them! While he didn’t personally believe he should need to have a reason other than that he was a person who didn’t need babysitting, he knew the alpha had grown up in a different lifestyle than himself. A much more traditional lifestyle when it came to the rights of an omega.

So, when Yuuri had made his requests and Viktor had asked him why, Yuuri kept his cool. If Viktor was willing to ask him for a reason, surely that meant he was willing to consider what Yuuri was asking. His first request had been access to more of the manor, claiming that if what Viktor had meant what he said after Yuuri’s performance, then Yuuri deserved to know about where he was living. Potentially for the remainder of his life, though he didn’t dwell too long on the thought. His second request had been riskier, having asked for access to the grounds. Not that he was going to try and run again, especially after last time, and the drive into the manor had reminded him how _long_ the property was. He would never make it to the gate, and then into town to find help, not with winter approaching. Viktor had been more curious of that request, and Yuuri stated it was because he missed the fresh air. And that he wanted to spend more time with Makkachin, and that taking the dog on a daily walk would make them both feel better.

While both requests came with the condition that he would have his guard with him, both were granted. It left Yuuri beaming through the remainder of their lunch. He didn’t have a plan for anything, but perhaps he could find a phone. Call his family. Of course, even if he found a phone he knew he couldn’t take advantage of it right away. If he were caught, he feared being confined to the cage to the extent he had been before his heat. For now, he would take his time to get used to his new environment. Explore the manor and the grounds, and consider the alpha’s condition to that dance studio.

Yura’s words kept replaying in his mind from when they met, about how if Yuuri was going to have to do it eventually, he might as well get something out of it. It was the thought of doing such a thing as a sort of payment for something he wanted that didn’t sit well with him. As if doing so would diminish the work Yuuri felt he had put into bettering his situation and make him nothing more than a cheap screw…

“For fucks sake, just use what you’ve got to your advantage,” Yura barked at him after lunch when Yuuri voiced his thoughts to the young alpha. He lounged on the couch of the library, handheld gaming system in his hands as usual with his feet propped on the omega’s lap. Since Yura had offered to help Yuuri adjust to his life in the manor several weeks back, it wasn’t uncommon for the pair to talk in the library in the hours between lunch and dinner. “You used your body to leverage yourself into a better light, didn’t you? This is just your mouth. Fuck.”

Yura passed the handheld system to Yuuri when his course was over, and Yuuri scrolled through the characters to select baby Luigi. He had grown up playing Mario Kart with his sister, and since she never went easy on him, he felt fairly confident in his skills. It had surprised the omega when the young alpha had offered to alternate courses with him while they talked, but found talking to the younger man comforting. Even if he was prickly and brash at times, the omega enjoyed his company. He hoped the other enjoyed his as well, even if most of their conversation had been Yuuri complaining.

“This is different,” Yuuri protested as he dropped a banana peel behind him. “On the ship I was showing Viktor the dance routine I never got to perform at my audition because I was drugged and sold at an auction.”

“Yah, and that’s shitty as fuck,” Yura acknowledged, something Yuuri was grateful for, “but then you two fucked like rabbits.”

Yuuri choked on air at the other’s words as his cart fell off the road, quickly dropping him from first to sixth place just in time for the course to end. He passed the handheld back before the next map started and saw the alpha scoff at his placement. “That’s your fault! I was in first!” Yuuri defended, but quickly shook his head and continued, “How do you know we-?”

“Beka and I were making our rounds patrolling the ship and we had to pass by your room. Heard you loud and clear, _oh alpha please I need-!”_ he mocked in a bad porn-star voice.

Yuuri rushed to cut the young alpha off, face beet red, “Okay! That’s enough!” He placed his face in his hands and groaned out, “I’m mortified. We can never speak again.”

Yura laughed and nudged the omega with his feet before handing the game back, the final course showing on the screen. “Relax, so you got laid and liked it. It’s not a big deal. And this shouldn’t be either. If you just do it and get it over with, I can stop listening to this conversation, Viktor will be satisfied with you, and you’ll get your dance room. Everybody wins.”

Yura’s play through the second course had placed them in second place for Yuuri’s entrance into the rainbow road. His favorite. He had spent an unheard-of number of hours playing the game during the night in his room as a child, practicing the rainbow road so he could surprise and beat Mari. He missed her. Wondered if she was still looking for him or if after nine weeks of him being missing she and their parents had given up. Finishing out rainbow road with a red shell he had held onto for the entirety of the course knocking the cart before him off the road, Yuuri sailed through the finish line in first place with a sigh. He handed the game back to the alpha, hearing the younger man give out a _“that’s what I’m talking about”_ as he selected a new character and map.

“Maybe you’re right,” Yuuri allowed, resting his head back against the couch to look at the ceiling.

“Damn right I’m right,” Yura yelled, tilting the handheld as if doing so would give him an advantage in the game. “Look, I’m not saying that if you don’t do it you won’t get the room, though it’s unlikely. I’m saying that if you do it, you get the room, and you’ll probably be a lot happier spending time in there than in your bedroom.”

Yuuri gave another sigh and accepted the handheld back, holding it straight up above his face as he sped off on Peach Beach. With his emotions all over the place in confusion, he had a lot to think about.

~

 

Viktor understood the importance of rewarding hard work. When people were given rewards, it motivated them. Sometimes motivated them more than restricting them would. And the confidence his mate had displayed during his performance for Viktor, then during the second day of the party, and then earlier that day during lunch. Well, Viktor thought that deserved to be rewarded. He granted the smaller man access to the majority of the manor, having instructed his guard Cao Bin, along with Yura, Otabek, and Yakov, that his mate was not to enter the armory or the basement. Viktor didn’t know if he would ever expose his mate to the more gruesome aspects of his work, knowing how fragile omegas could be, and how easily his mate had gone into a drop when he had tried to escape. Yakov would inform the members and staff around and within the manor of his mate’s allowance to wander, along with Viktor’s order to treat Yuuri as an extension of himself.

He had surprised himself with those words to Hisashi at the party, but he had said them, and plenty of people had heard. There was no going back, and he was curious to see his mate’s reaction to his new status within the household. It was nearing time for dinner, and Viktor was finishing one last document before going to fetch Yuuri and Yura from the library, when his office door opened.

“We’ll take dinner later,” Yuuri was telling who Viktor assumed was Cao Bin on the other side of the door. He began to close the door when he added, “Don’t let anyone in.”

His mate locked the door and Viktor raised a curious eyebrow. Yuuri very rarely visited him in his office, except for when he wanted something. “Yuuri, I was about to come get you for dinner.”

Yuuri shook his head and when he met Viktor’s eyes, the alpha almost held his breath. The omega’s eyes shone with such determination a fire seemed to glow in his cinnamon orbs. He watched closely as he crossed the room with purpose and turned Viktor’s chair to face him as he bent over, both hands resting on the arms of the chair and boxing the alpha in.

“I want something else.”

And then his lips were on Viktor’s, hot and demanding as he took control. Viktor almost lost his composure at the boldness of his mate, but managed to encourage the smaller male with an approved groan. His hands slid up and down the omega’s sides before clutching at his hips to guide him into the alpha’s lap. But Yuuri pulled away from the kiss and placed a hand on Viktor’s chest, only furthering to confuse the omega.

“No.” Viktor raised a single eyebrow at his mate, who blushed and suddenly looked less sure of himself. “Um, I mean…You said…” He took a deep breath and locked eyes with Viktor once more, the determination wavering in his eyes while his voice held strong. “You said you’d guide me.”

Viktor felt a grin split his features at what his mate was saying. “Of course little one. As I said, whenever you were ready for the studio, I would be here to help.”

The briefest bit of agitation filtered through the bond at the back of his mind, but it was gone as quickly as it had come, and Viktor chose to overlook it. After all, he knew the condition was something that would push his dear omega. But Viktor wanted to see how far he could push the other man, and what it took for him to give.

~

Yuuri couldn’t believe he was doing what he was, but he was there now and there was no backing away. His talks with Yura always seemed to lead Yuuri to do something he would never have done without the push, but so far the younger man’s advice and harsh realities hadn’t led him astray. And then before he knew it, he had demanded Cao Bin take him to Viktor’s office and not allow anyone inside. Which was where he was now. Kneeling before the alpha in his desk chair, having undone the buttons of his shirt and working on his belt. **Yuuri could see the outline of the alpha’s cock as the hard bulge in his dress pants,** and tried to ignore the intrusive images his brain provided of the alpha’s size. There would be no way he could fit all the alpha in his mouth, and he just hoped Viktor didn’t try and force him.

When Yuuri pulled Viktor from the confines of his pants he had to swallow the saliva that built up in his mouth at the sight. He felt his body produce slick and his insides clench at the memory of only two nights before. Taking a deep breath to try and calm his senses he was hit directly in the face with thick alpha pheromones, only serving to turn himself on more. Yuuri forced himself to look up at his alpha, locking eyes and receiving an encouraging nod.

“I’ve never done this before,” Yuuri felt the need to say, despite having told Viktor that in the past. Anything to fill the nervous silence.

Viktor reached a hand down to the side of Yuuri’s face, thumb stroking the omega’s bottom lip. When Viktor tapped his thumb twice against his lips, Yuuri opened slowly for the alpha to insert two fingers. He gently massaged Yuuri’s tongue with the pads of his fingers, stimulating the production of saliva. Yuuri gently sucked to work the saliva back enough for him to swallow.

“That’s good Yuuri,” Viktor praised, and Yuuri blushed at the soft moan that escaped him as his own cock throbbed in his pants. “Do you remember how I started when I showed you on the ship?”

Yuuri nodded and Viktor praised him once more, instructing him to do as he remembered and Viktor would guide him as needed. When Yuuri opened his mouth for Viktor to remove his fingers, the alpha lightly drug the back of his nail against the sensitive roof of the omega’s mouth, pulling a loud moan from the smaller man. Embarrassed at the amount of pleasure he received from such a small action, he pushed himself to lean forward and lick the underside of Viktor’s cock.

It was thick, and twitched as Yuuri reached the tip. He repeated the action a few more times, encouraged when Viktor threaded the fingers of one hand in his hair, gentling combing rather than grasping. Remembering how Viktor had treated him on the ship, Yuuri wound his tongue around the head when he reached the tip before sliding back toward the base. He managed to pull a soft sigh from the alpha, and Yuuri prepared himself for the more difficult task. Fitting the alpha in his mouth.

When he reached the tip once more, instead of twirling his tongue, Yuuri allowed the head to slip between his lips. Viktor groaned and when Yuuri chanced a glance up, the alpha had briefly closed his eyes before catching Yuuri staring. Averting his gaze, Yuuri slowly began taking the alpha in his mouth before he felt he couldn’t take any more and pulled back and off.  
“Breathe through your nose,” Viktor instructed calmly, though his voice had lowered in pitch, betraying his cool demeanor. “Hallow your cheeks too, it should make it easier on your jaw. That’s it, you’re doing so well. You look stunning like this my Yuuri.”

Yuuri felt his cock twitch and his entrance clench at the praise. He was drooling over the alpha’s cock, quite literally, the clear liquid slipping from his lips to slide down the remainder of Viktor’s member. He set himself in a rhythm, steadily lowering himself as far as he could before retreating. He would swirl his tongue around the sensitive head before sliding the tip of his tongue to probe the salty slit. Viktor’s fingers had tightened in his hair as he encouraged the omega further, praising him every so often. Yuuri was certain if Viktor hadn’t known Yuuri was aching for his own release, the scent of his arousal and the twitches in his hips would give him away.

“Touch yourself,” Viktor groaned, member twitching in Yuuri’s mouth in a way that told him the alpha was close. When Yuuri didn’t comply, Viktor growled, fingers pulling almost painfully at Yuuri’s hair. “I said, _touch yourself!”_

Yuuri’s own hand was down the front of his leggings before his mind registered the alpha command for what it was. He wanted to be upset over the command, but the pleasure that coursed through his body as he pumped himself in time with his movements on the alpha in his mouth had all thoughts of defiance racing from his mind. Even with no stimulation until that point, Yuuri came first, moaning around the alpha’s cock before his head was held in place. Viktor spilled deep in his throat, and Yuuri worked to swallow, eyes wide in surprise. He had been too distracted by his own release to prepare for what was to come, choking a bit as thick strips slipped from his lips to run down his throat and chin. When Viktor released him Yuuri pulled back with a gasp, eyes screwing shut as he worked to push his embarrassment back.

**“You look stunning like this,”** Viktor whispered, fingers lingering on Yuuri’s lips.

He could tell they would be swollen from the activity, glistening with a combination of saliva and the alpha’s cum. Viktor tucked himself away before removing a handkerchief from his pocket. He guided the hand Yuuri was unaware was still in his pants, holding his soft member, before using the cloth to wipe Yuuri’s own spend and clean his hand. Yuuri was embarrassed, but the experience hadn’t been as bad as he had thought it would be. In fact, he found the way he could pull sounds of pleasure from the alpha empowering, even if he was on his knees.

“Come, I have a few things to show you.”

Yuuri felt disgusting and embarrassed walking around with drying cum in his pants, but nobody they passed in the halls said anything, despite the ever-noticeable growing stain. They remained on the first floor, but made their way in the opposite direction of Viktor’s office and the library. Though there were many hallways within the manor, Yuuri found the trip from the alpha’s office to their destination a relatively easy route. The room was in the same location as Viktor’s office, though mirrored as it was the other side of the manor. Viktor held a large grin as he motioned Yuuri to open the door.

“What-?” Yuuri asked, voice failing as he entered to discover a fully-functional dance studio. All four walls were floor to ceiling mirrors, and the left side held the barre. There were speakers in all four corners of the ceiling, and one wall held a built-in stereo. There was a door in the far-right corner that Yuuri could see led to a small room with a toilet and sink. The room was large enough for any practice or performance, and was more than Yuuri had thought he would ever receive. “When did you…?”

Viktor gave a chuckle behind him. “Since you brought up wanting a place to practice. I asked Lilia to make the preparations, she used to dance herself when she was younger. While we were at the party everything was installed. I didn’t think I would get to give it to you so soon.”

Yuuri ignored the choice of words as he made his way around the room, touching the barre. The room was his. He could practice whenever he wanted. His heart swelled and unshed tears of happiness welled in his eyes as he turned to the alpha still in the doorway. “Thank you, Viktor.”

Viktor shook his head and held out his hand for Yuuri to take. “No need for thanks little one. You earned this room. You may do whatever you like with it, and if there is anything missing let me know and I’ll have someone take care of it for you. Now, I think we should get you cleaned up before we have dinner.”

Yuuri didn’t want to leave the room, but the uncomfortable feeling of dried cum against his thighs and lower abdomen took priority. He could return to the room the next day, and spend the whole day there if he wanted he was sure.

~

Viktor tucked Yuuri into the cage nest without the leash before he left for some late-night work. While the workers had worked over the weekend to set up the ballet studio, they had also done some work in his room. He had a second toilet room with a sink installed through a door in the cage. The original door into the master bathroom was removed from the cage, and Viktor felt the area was much more safe for his mate to be without the leash now. Just as he had settled behind his desk, he received a phone call from Chris.

“You never call this late,” Viktor commented when he answered.

“Yah, well it’s important,” the other alpha sounded annoyed, immediately catching Viktor’s attention.

“Oh? What’s happened?”

“I’ve had Emil monitoring the finances of your mate’s family like you asked. Three tickets were purchased this afternoon from Japan to Saint Petersburg. Their plane will be landing tomorrow just after four in the evening.”

Viktor was surprised. He expected his Yuuri’s family to figure out where he was, but not quite so soon. He figured the news of Yuuri being mated to Viktor would spread across Russia over the next several days, and the news would reach Japan by the end of the week. But less than twenty-four hours was impressive. Somebody must have been looking very hard for any mention of the omega.

“Hmm.” Viktor tapped at his bottom lip with a single finger as he thought of his next move. He figured he had more time to work with Yuuri, but plans do occasionally change. “I’ll inform Yakov to arrange a car to pick them up.”

“And Yuuri?” Chris asked, curiosity leaking into his voice. “You really think he’s not going to open his mouth about what you really do and how you got him?”

Viktor laughed loudly, having to pull the phone away from his face and calm down before returning to the conversation. “No, he’s not going to say anything.”

“How can you be so sure?” Chris sounded doubtful, but a wicked smile crossed Viktor’s face.

“That’s the wonderful thing about being mated to an omega,” Viktor told him casually. “Sometimes, they don’t have a choice.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love to hear what you guys think of the story and characters so far, as well as what you would like to see from the story! :)


	31. The Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri, Mari

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to break what I had planned for this chapter into two, in the interest of getting this one out sooner :) I hope you enjoy!

Yuuri was feeling great! The best he had felt since he woke up in that cage all those weeks ago. While he wasn’t performing on stage, and he wasn’t sure if he would ever get to that point again, dance was back in his life, and he no longer faced Viktor with terror in his veins. Since that first day they met, Viktor truly hadn’t been unkind to Yuuri, and he told himself that perhaps it was nerves on the alpha’s end as well. When Yuuri worked up the courage to speak about something, he found the alpha more than willing to listen. Sure, he still treated Yuuri as some stereotypical omega sometimes, but they hadn’t yet known each other for three full months yet. Yuuri had hope that in time his situation would slowly get better. It would never be the life he had dreamt of as a child; of an alpha courting him and the pair falling in love. But these were the cards he had been dealt, and he was determined to take Yura’s advice and turn it into the life he wanted.

Falling back into his practice routine had been easier than he had anticipated now that he had a full studio to take advantage of, rather than the marble cage. He had even been brave enough the previous night to negotiate not wearing a collar during practice, surprised when the alpha not only agreed, but told Yuuri he only had to wear the collar when he went outside the manor if he wished. It had been a relief, though when he looked in the mirror as he practiced with the barre, he felt embarrassed over his bond mark being on full display. Funny, how in such a short amount of time he had become accustomed to the weight of something he had first found oppressing.

Even the new cuffs felt odd on his skin. They were a gift from Viktor. Light-weight and flexible, they came in many colors solid colors and were meant to be used while he practiced dance. The others had been so high-class, with their priceless gems and metals. They matched Viktor’s over-the-top style very well, with his designer suits and watches. Yuuri had almost choked on his own air when he saw one of the alpha’s _Kiton_ suits wrinkled on the floor as if it meant nothing. But the new cuffs were more Yuuri’s style, resembling more of a thick-banded bracelet than a cuff.

“Admiring your new cuffs?”

Yuuri turned at the voice, pulled from his own thoughts as his eyes landed on Viktor. He wore his trademark smirk and held a bottled water out for Yuuri to take. Smiling in thanks, Yuuri crossed the room and took a long drink before answering.

“I’m more comfortable wearing these ones,” he admitted.

Viktor raised an eyebrow at his words. “Was there something wrong with the others? We can get you ones with more precious stones.”

Yuuri quickly waved the hand that wasn’t holding the water in front of his face. “No! No, that’s not it at all! I was worried I would bump one and crack one of the expensive stones! I would never be able to replace one!”

Viktor laughed and ruffled Yuuri’s hair before stepping through the door and gesturing for Yuuri to follow. “You needn’t worry about such a small thing, though I’m glad you like the new additions to your wardrobe.”

As they passed a grandfather clock in the hall, Yuuri startled at the time. “Is it really time for lunch already?”

Viktor laughed and nodded. “Yes. You’ve been in there all morning. I thought you’d prefer to clean up beforehand. We have a few things to discuss while we eat.”

Yuuri was curious as Viktor unlocked their bedroom door, locking it once more after they had entered. While Yuuri followed him to the bathroom he spoke up, “What do we have to talk about?”

Viktor shook his head as he started the shower for Yuuri and tested the water with his hand. He unlocked the cuffs around the omega’s wrists before speaking, “Not now, we’ll discuss it at lunch. Come, strip down and clean. I’ll fetch your clothes.”

Yuuri allowed himself to huff his annoyance once the alpha was out of the room. He didn’t need anyone to pick his clothes for him as if he were a child, though here he was. The only thing keeping Yuuri from voicing his objection was how far he felt he had already come in accommodating and getting the alpha to accommodate as well. Yuuri _really_ didn’t want to push his luck by coming off as if he were attacking the only way the alpha had known to live his life in Russia. Small steps, and fussing over the alpha picking his clothes for the day wasn’t something worth starting a fight.

Just as Yuuri was drying off Viktor returned carrying a small pile of clothes and a new cuff set – one of the originals. Black leggings and socks accompanied a heather blue knit sweater. The neck was wide enough that Yuuri knew once it was on would slip on either one shoulder or another. Tungsten cuffs set with gray chalcedony completed the ensemble. Dressing quickly Yuuri held the sweater before his chest.

“Um, could I grab a button up to go under this one?”

“No,” Viktor told him, taking the few steps forward to cup Yuuri’s cheek. “I want to show off this beautiful bond mark I gave you.”

Yuuri flushed but didn’t protest as he pulled the sweater over his head and adjusted the collar to be as comfortable as he could be with his neck and shoulder on display. The scent of pleased and relaxed alpha reached his nose, and Yuuri closed his eyes to take a deep breath. Ever since his failed attempt at running away, Viktor’s pheromones seemed to calm Yuuri more and more. It was almost strange how quickly his body would react to the alpha, but he supposed in some strange way Viktor was safe. He never hurt Yuuri – had rescued Yuuri from those alphas in the woods and even stood up for Yuuri only days before against that reporter.

Viktor secured the cuffs on each of Yuuri’s wrists before leading Yuuri down toward the dining room where Yura and Otabek were already seated. The walk down had been silent – unusual for the normally chatty alpha – and Yuuri couldn’t get a read on what he was feeling through the bond.

“You better have a good reason for calling us down here, old man,” Yura said as soon as the pair were seated. “I was just about to beat my high score when Mila burst into my room announcing you wanted myself and Otabek.”

Viktor smiled and waited for the maids to finish serving their meal before he spoke. Yuuri looked down at his steak and roasted vegetable sandwich and cup of what appeared to be French onion soup, and felt saliva build up in his mouth. But he wanted to hear what the alpha had been so secretive about.

“Yes, I’ll need you and Otabek to assist Cao Bin as he accompanies my Yuuri around the manor and grounds for the next several days,” Viktor announced, causing both Yuuri and Yura to furrow their brows.

“What? He’s been fine!” Yura protested.

Yuuri also wanted to protest his additional babysitters, but held his tongue. If there was anything Yuuri had come to realize over the past nine weeks, it was that Viktor seemed to never do anything without a purpose. There had to be a reason he wanted Yura and Otabek to accompany him.

Viktor stirred his soup, almost disinterested in the conversation. He raised a spoonful just above the bowl to allow it to cool before answering. “In about five hours my in-laws will be arriving at the manor. I will need you two to keep an eye on them.”

Yuuri dropped his own spoon at the words. Yura’s mouth hung open and Otabek silently nodded his agreement, but Yuuri hardly noticed. Had he heard Viktor correctly? If Viktor’s in-laws were arriving before dinner, that meant…

“My parents are coming?” Yuuri asked, not bothering to mask his surprise.

Viktor flashed him a wide smile. “Along with your sister, of course. News spreads rather quickly nowadays, doesn’t it?”

His parents. And Mari. They were coming to the manor. Where Yuuri was. He could tell them what happened! They could help him! Excitement began welling in his chest, and he barely had the sense to tune into what Viktor was saying.

“There will be rules, of course,” his alpha was saying between bites of his sandwich. “They will not be permitted to wander the manor, will go nowhere unattended, and you will have no un-supervised conversation.”

Yuuri felt his heart sinking the more Viktor spoke. He worked to keep his disappointment from filtering through the bond, or worse, his pheromones souring the scent of the room. Yuuri wet his lips. “I can’t have any time alone with my family?”

“No shit,” Yura cut in, angrily taking a bite of his own sandwich. “We’re not running a candy factory here.”

His good mood from earlier that morning was waning, and he had nearly forgotten just what it was Viktor and the rest truly did for a living – that he didn’t only own several relator and construction companies. No, Yuuri was mated to the Pakhan of the Russian Bravata, and he needed to remind himself he would be much better off if he never forgot that fact.

“Yura is right,” Viktor spoke calmly as he wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I would hate to see my lovely mate’s family have an unfortunate accident if they were to see something they weren’t supposed to see.” Viktor leveled his gaze with Yuuri’s, and the smaller man swallowed the nervous lump in his throat. “Or if they were to be told something they shouldn’t be told. Understand?”

Yuuri understood. That if he wanted to keep his family safe, then he would need to play the same part he had at the party – the happy, content omega mate of a wealthy businessman. The thought terrified him. That Viktor would harm his family if they tried to help him escape. It shouldn’t have surprised him. Yuuri had witnessed – well, more like heard – Viktor shoot and kill the three men who had attacked him in the woods six weeks prior. But between nearly dropping, the stress of the situation, the man who bought him coming to his rescue, and his approaching heat at the time, his mind had dismissed the act. His omega side having convinced his rational mind that it was done for Yuuri’s sake. And maybe it had been, but Viktor had still killed three men without so much as flinching.

And he could do that to Yuuri’s family. To his sister. His father. His mother. Tears threatened to spill but he held them back. No, he would not cry. He could do it. Yuuri could hold himself together long enough to spend time with his family. And if it turned out it was the last time he would see them face-to-face, well, he wanted it to be a memory of happiness.

~

“Mari, where are you going?” her father asked.

When she turned around she saw both her mother and her father had stopped walking. “To hail a cab. I told you this on the plane – we’re going to the office of that Hisashi Morooka guy who wrote that bullshit article about Yuuri. He’s got to know how to get ahold of them.”

“But Mari, dear,” her mother spoke, pointing to a large group of people to the side, “I think that man is here to pick us up.”

“What?” Mari turned to follow her mother’s direction, and sure enough, there was a man standing amongst the group waiting for others to arrive. He was holding a sign that read _Katsuki Family._ But nobody should have been expecting them. Moving forward she grabbed her mother’s elbow, slinging her bag more securely on her shoulder. “We don’t know him. Come on.”

“Are you the Katsuki family?” the man asked. He was mostly muscle, with a wide stature, and hiding his balding head beneath a fedora. “Viktor sent me to collect you.”

“Oh! That’s the name of Yuuri’s new mate, right?” her mother asked, shaking free from Mari’s hold to extend her hand to the man. “Thank you for coming all the way out here to get us!”

Her father also extended his hand in greeting, a friendly smile upon his face. “Sorry we came without notice, though it looks like it all worked out. Mari just rushed us off so quickly, excited that we finally knew where our Yuuri was. I’m Toshiya, and this is my wife Hiroko, and our daughter Mari.”

The man shook both their hands with a grunt of acknowledgment. “You may call me Yakov. I am Viktor’s assistant and household manager. Come. They are expecting you for dinner.”

“Oh! That’s so nice!” Hiroko exclaimed, rolling her suitcase behind her as she and Toshiya followed the man.

“Wait!” Mari called, rushing forward. “We can’t just get in the car with this man! We know nothing about him!”

“And you expect to get around without speaking Russian?” the man asked, face unwavering as he stared her down. “Viktor and Yuuri are waiting. We do not want the food to get cold.”

Mari kept her defenses up as she followed her parents and the suspicious alpha. He led them to a black SUV and opened the back for their bags. She helped her parents into the back before she took the passenger seat in the front, ready to fight the older alpha. But he said nothing as he took his seat behind the driver’s wheel and pulled the car onto the highway. Her parents chatted happily amongst themselves in the back about how excited they were to see Yuuri again, but Mari remained silent. The busy highway turned into busy streets, which turned into less than busy streets, which turned into a road leading into the woods. She was getting nervous but refused to let any pheromones escape and give her doubts away.

“Where are we going?” she demanded, drawing the attention of her parents as they looked out the windows, and then to their driver.

“To Nikiforov manor,” Yakov answered gruffly.

“Seems more like you’re just driving us into the woods,” she accused, and her mother gasped.

“Mari!”

“Well?” she pushed.

“Nikiforov manor is within the woodlands of Saint Petersburg,” he told her. “Once we reach the grounds it will be another thirty minutes before we reach the house.”

As she was about to protest the SUV pulled into what appeared to be a very long driveway. Large black iron gates stretched as far as she could see, and in the setting light she couldn’t make out where the driveway ended. Yakov rolled down his window when a man with a flashlight approached the car.

“Inform Viktor the Katsuki’s have arrived,” Yakov told the man.

The man nodded and stepped away as the gate opened. And as Yakov had told her, after thirty minutes of tense silence as they rode through thick forest, a mansion came into view before a circular driveway. It was huge. Easily the largest house Mari had ever seen, if one could call such a large building a _house._ Though, she supposed, it had been referred to as _Nikiforov Manor._ There were two men standing outside the front doors, while several others appeared wandering around the grounds. A sinking feeling settled deep in Mari’s gut, and while she knew not to ignore the feeling, she also couldn’t place what to do about it at the moment.

A different man came around the SUV and collected their bags from the back while another opened the back door for her mother. Mari kept her eyes on them while she exited the vehicle, sticking close to her parents as they followed Yakov up the steps. When he opened the door he stepped inside to hold it opened for them to enter. Without closing the door Yakov began walking toward a hallway to the left of the over-sized staircase taking up the majority of the entryway.

“Come, they are waiting in the dining room.”

Mari tried to memorize their path from the entryway to where Yakov was leading them, but there were far too many hallways. Just as a seed of nervousness began to bloom in her chest, he stopped. Taking a step forward when Yakov held the door open, Mari entered the room first, followed by her parents. There were four people seated within the room at a long dining table. Two whom she did not recognize were seated on the left. Two young alphas, one with blond hair and a scowl, the other with a shorter hairstyle and tan skin. At the head of the table, smiling and slowly getting to his feet, was the alpha Mari had seen in the pictures from the news article. And there, seated beside the alpha on the right of the table, was the only person Mari cared to see at that moment. She felt her voice crack when she finally gathered herself.

“Yuuri.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Our poor Yuuri and his internal struggles T.T  
> Also, Kiton suits are just shy of $50,000 so oof, Viktor, don't leave them on the floor! T.T


	32. The In-laws

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri, Viktor, Mari

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to break this chapter into two so I could get at least something out to you guys. Sorry it took so long, real life has been busy haha

Yuuri thought his heart was going to fall out of his chest when he saw his family enter the room, his sister gasping his name almost as if she hadn’t truly expected to see him there. But he was. And they were _right there._ Viktor was already rounding the table with his arms extended when Yuuri scrambled to his feet, eager to just _hug his mom again._

“Welcome!” Viktor greeted cheerfully. “We finally meet! My name is Viktor Nikiforov, Yuuri’s alpha.”

Yuuri stepped around Viktor and easily wrapped his arms around his mother’s short stature. “Mom, it’s so great to see you.”

“Oh, Yuuri, we were so worried about you! Why didn’t you tell us you were moving to Russia to be with your mate?” his mother chided, pulling back to cup his cheeks. “You look well.”

“Cut the bullshit,” Mari interrupted, and when Yuuri turned to see her she was facing Viktor. “What have you done to my brother.”

Viktor’s friendly smile slowly morphed into a confident smirk as he replied, “I assure you, nothing he doesn’t ask for himself.”

Yuuri felt the blush rush to his face at what his alpha was implying. “Viktor,” he hissed, stepping away from his mother to be beside his mate. “You can’t say something like that.”

Yuuri heard his father laugh and turned his attention toward the beta. “Oh, Yuuri, your mother and I know quite well how all that stuff works. No need to be embarrassed. You’re a mated man now after all!”

When Yuuri reached up almost absentmindedly to touch his exposed shoulder, his sister reached forward and grabbed his hand. She glared at the exposed skin. “And what is that?”

“Uh, my bond mark,” Yuuri answered honestly, looking up at Viktor. This wasn’t how he expected his family reunion to go. He had thought there would be more hugging and tears of happiness. Not…whatever this weird tension was between Mari and Viktor.

Mari glared at him. “I can see that. Tell me how it got there.”

“Mari,” their mother stepped forward and placed a gentle hand on where Mari held his captive. “That is a very personal question to ask your brother.”

“You don’t think this is weird?” she practically yelled, gesturing between Yuuri and Viktor. “How Yuuri just _disappeared_ from Canada where he had that huge audition he practiced for months to get. And then we hear _nothing_ from him for almost ten weeks when suddenly there’s a news article being written about how he bonded to some alpha from Russia? And didn’t _tell us?”_

“Well you see-” Yuuri started, but Mari cut him off.

“You be quiet. I want answers,” she snapped.

The anxiety of the past few hours continued to build in his chest, and he watched silently as Viktor stepped forward, his face in a stiff smile as dominant alpha pheromones filled the air. Yuuri could feel the alpha’s agitation through the bond, combining with his own anxiety and making him feel sick.

“I believe if you took a moment all could be explained over dinner,” Viktor told her, looping his arm around Yuuri’s waist and watching as Mari followed the movement. “But I encourage you to refrain from speaking to Yuuri that way, or I’m afraid I’ll have to ask you leave. Our home is no place to fight.”

“Yuuri’s home is in Hatsetsu,” Mari snapped, fists clenching at her sides. “He doesn’t belong with you.”

Viktor moved Yuuri behind him as a predatory growl ripped from his throat. Mari responded with a growl of her own as she stepped forward. A clattering of noise behind them had Yuuri whipping around to see Yura had sprung toward the pair, his chair having fallen backwards as the young alpha attempted to join the dispute, a growl of his own mixing with that of Yuuri’s mate and sister. Otabek had quickly stood and grabbed Yura around the waist, holding him back, but Yuuri could hear a low growl beginning to form from Otabek as well.

“Oh, dear,” Hiroko gasped, hands covering her mouth.

A full-on alpha brawl could start any moment, spiking Yuuri’s anxiety at the thought. Mari might also be an alpha, but Yuuri knew she was no match for Viktor, even if by some grace Yura and Otabek didn’t join the fight. There was only one way to end the fight before it began. Stepping forward, Yuuri pushed himself between the alphas, his back facing Viktor.

“Mari, stand down,” Yuuri spoke with as much confidence as he could muster. His sister’s eyes stayed trained on Viktor’s for a moment longer before she looked at Yuuri. Slowly, Yuuri told her, “I appreciate you coming to my defense, but it isn’t your place to decide where I belong. I’m part of Viktor’s family now too.”

Mari’s growling ceased, though her body remained tense. In the background, Yura’s growling was the last to stop. The air in the room remained thick, Toshiya being the first to break the silence.

“Yuuri, is this what you want?” he asked, rubbing comforting circles on his wife’s back.

Yuuri met his father’s eyes and nodded. He wanted nothing more than to go home with his family and forget everything that he went through in the past ten weeks, but Yuuri would do anything to keep his family safe. And if being the loving mate of Viktor Nikiforov, Pakhan of the Russian Bratva, then that’s what he would be. “Yes. I want to be with Viktor.”

Toshiya nodded, a small smile causing deep lines to appear on either side of his lips. “Then we are all very happy for you, son. We’re just glad you are safe and well. Isn’t that right, Mari?”

Yuuri looked to his sister with hopeful eyes. She was silent for several moments, and Yuuri almost thought she was going to start growling once more, before she let out a heavy sigh. “If this is what you want...Then I guess there’s nothing left to say.”

“Wonderful!” Viktor cheered, stepping forward once more to place a hand upon Yuuri’s shoulder, over his bond mark. “We started off on the wrong foot, let us start over. My name is Viktor Nikiforov, Yuuri’s alpha. The feisty young alpha over there is my brother Yura, and his friend Otabek. Welcome to our home.”

Toshiya extended a hand and shook Viktor’s. “Toshiya Katsuki, Yuuri’s father. My wife Hiroko, and our daughter Mari. We trust our Yuuri is in good hands.”

“Viktor takes very good care of me,” Yuuri put in with a smile as they rejoined Yura and Otabek at the table. “He makes sure I have everything I need.”

“What about dancing?” Mari questioned, allowing their mother to sit beside Yuuri.

Yuuri knew his sister well enough to know she was fishing for information. Anything that would tell her that Yuuri was there by force. But he couldn’t – no, he could, but he _wouldn’t_ – give away any information that could tip Viktor off that his family was any more suspicious. Instead, as plates were placed before them by the staff, Yuuri flashed his best press smile at his family.

“Actually, Viktor surprised me the other day with my own studio to practice.”

Viktor smiled at Yuuri’s words, adding on his own. “Yuuri actually performed the first night of his introduction party. It was a wonderful piece.”

“Oh yah?” Mari questioned, a smile of her own crossing her features. Though Yuuri knew the smile was more of a _caught you in a lie_ kind of smile. “What piece did he perform? He’s had so many over the years.”

Setting down his glass of no doubt expensive vodka – _how could he drink that straight?_ – Viktor hummed a thought. “Hmm, it was your newest performance piece, wasn’t it? _On Love, Eros,_ I believe. Wonderful, absolutely stunning piece. Couldn’t take my eyes off Yuuri for a second.”

Yuuri felt himself flush as the memories of the performance, and what followed, rushed to the forefront of his mind. Oh, no, the reminder of Viktor, kneeling between Yuuri’s thighs, their combined pheromones swirling around the room, and how Yuuri had come apart beneath the alpha again and again, caused Yuuri to shift in his seat. From the corner of his eyes, Yuuri saw Viktor smirk, clearly having caught the omega’s desire through the bond. That is, if he hadn’t caught scent of Yuuri already.

“Yuuri?”

Mari’s voice brought him back to the conversation at hand. Blinking rapidly, Yuuri met his sister’s gaze. “Yes?”

“Are you alright?” her voice was suspicious, but it only made Yuuri flush more.

“Uh, yes. Just remembering is all,” he lied quickly.

Yura made a gagging noise around a mouthful of food. “Gross. Nobody needs to hear about your sex life. I’m scarred enough having had heard it the first time.”

“Yura!” Yuuri balked, positive his face was as red as the borshch before him. Taking Viktor’s chuckle as an opportunity to change the topic, Yuuri turned to his mother beside him. “Ah, mom, this is actually Viktor’s favorite dish.”

“I can see why, it’s quite good,” she complemented, taking another spoonful. “Have you had a chance to try katsudon yet?”

“No,” Viktor admitted as he wiped his mouth with the cloth napkin. “But I understand it is my Yuuri’s favorite dish. I could have our chef make it for dinner tomorrow if you’d like.”

Hiroko waved him off. “Nonsense! I’d be more than happy to make it if you have the ingredients.”

Yuuri felt a genuine smile at his mother’s words, his heart blooming with warmth. “Yours is the best, mom. I can never quite get it right.”

Hiroko patted his arm lovingly with a smile. “It will come with time, don’t worry dear.”

Conversation dulled, though the silence wasn’t nearly as unpleasant as he expected it to be. As a smile slice of cake was placed before each of them, their main dishes having been removed, Mari directed a question at Viktor.

“So,” she started, gesturing around the room almost lazily, “what is it you do exactly, to afford such a huge place?”

“Mari, don’t be rude,” their father scolded, but she only shrugged. The question was already asked, after all.

Viktor chuckled. “It’s no problem, Mr. Katsuki. I own several relator and construction companies. Among several other smaller ones.”

“Mm-hm. And all the people walking around? And the big-ass gate and unnecessary long driveway?”

“Mari!” Toshiya scolded once more, prompting Mari to lean back in her chair. “I apologize, Viktor, Yuuri. Don’t know what’s gotten into her.”

“She’s trying to find a problem where there isn’t one,” Yura provided around a mouthful of cake. He waved his fork in a gesture between Yuuri and Viktor. “Look Miss _I’m the alpha of my family and suddenly I’m not the one my brother listens to anymore_ – these two have a good thing going for them, and I’m not going to sit back and watch you give them the third degree. Your brother is with mine. Get over it.”

“Listen here you little shit,” Mari practically growled, slamming her hands on the table as Yura scowled, “I know my brother. And he wouldn’t just run off and get _bonded_ without calling us first. Maybe you don’t know your brother as much as you would like to claim you do.”

Before Yura could stand up, Yuuri was on his feet, fists clenched at his side. The only thought running through his mind was that if Mari didn’t just _shut up,_ she was going to get herself and their parents hurt in some way. And Yuuri didn’t want to find out exactly what way that would be. “Mari!” When she turned her face to his, he continued through clenched teeth. “You’re out of line. I’m sorry I didn’t call – I dropped my phone at the airport and it broke. With trying to get used to a new country and settle down before my heat, I wasn’t thinking about getting a new one. Some of the people walking around are staff, some are guards for the house. With so much space, several rooms are used for business meetings. Even regular houses have gates, and the size of the property is for privacy. In case you didn’t know, Viktor is famous here in Russia. I’m grateful we don’t have to deal with press all the time out here.”

Pride rushed through the bond and Yuuri barely managed to stop himself from purring at the sensation. The feeling was light and warm, like the first kiss of sunlight upon your skin in the morning. Viktor stood, placing a grounding hand upon the small of Yuuri’s back.

“Darling, I’m sure your sister is hurt over the distance between you two now,” Viktor told him, as if he weren’t the reason. “If she has any questions, I’d be more than happy to answer them for her. I should have known having so many alphas meeting for the first time in one room would be a bad idea. I’ll have Yakov bring them to their hotel, and the four of you can spend the day together here tomorrow. How does that sound?”

As Viktor kissed Yuuri’s temple, his sister frowned. “With all this room, we’re not staying here?”

“Mari, don’t be rude. They’re newly bonded, we wouldn’t want to impose,” Hiroko stated, standing to her feet with Toshiya.

Viktor flashed a celebrity smile. “I realize it may be inconvenient to travel from the hotel to the manor, but I must insist upon it. I do not like guests wandering around my home while I am asleep. You understand.”

~Viktor~

Viktor watched as Yuuri’s parents escorted the alpha female from the room when Yakov arrived. She was a spit-fire, and much more nosy and difficult to deal with than the older betas. In fact, Viktor almost liked his mate’s parents. They so readily accepted their son’s words at face-value, seemingly only interested in the fact that he was safe. Such good parents. Stupid, he would say, but good nonetheless. Viktor was even looking forward to Hiroko’s cooking the following evening. Once the Katsuki family were gone, Yuuri collapsed back into his seat, head in his hands. Before Viktor could say anything however, Yura spoke up.

“Hey, as long as you keep your sister from snooping around and finding out you’re part of the Bratva, you’re in the clear,” he said, slumping down in his chair as he often had as a young teenager, rebelling against Yakov.

“I can’t do it,” Yuuri gasped out, and Viktor felt the cold burn of his mate’s anxiety in the back of his mind, gritting his teeth against the unpleasant feeling. “I can’t just _lie_ to my family like this!”

“You did well,” Viktor told him, gently petting the omega’s hair. “It will only be for two more days, and then I will send them back to Japan.” Relief and sadness both swirled in the back of Viktor’s mind, contradicting one another while combining with the existing anxiety. Stiffly cracking his neck, Viktor wished he could throw the emotions from his mind. No such luck.

“Two days?” Yuuri asked, peaking up at Viktor, tears swimming in his eyes, unshed. It was silent for a moment without the pair breaking eye contact, before his mate spoke up softly. “Will I see them again?”

“Perhaps,” Viktor allowed, having spoken the word slowly and deliberately. “If you can prove that my Bratva is not in danger by allowing you to see them, then I will not write off a possible trip to Japan in the future. Perhaps with the coming of our first child.”

Another rush of anxiety flooded Viktor’s mind and he worked to hold back the growl of frustration at his mate. He knew the omega was prone to bits of anxiety, but the rollercoaster of negative emotions pouring through the bond from his mate throughout the day was becoming tiresome.

“We can’t have kids!” Yuuri exclaimed, sitting upright in his chair and turning to face Viktor fully. “I’m not ready!”

Holding onto the bit of patience he had, Viktor reached a hand to lovingly caress the omega’s face, releasing a small puff of calming pheromones from his wrist. “Do not worry little one, we have plenty of time before trying for a family.” When his mate relaxed, Viktor gave a small smile. “My yearly rut is not until after the New Year. We will discuss this closer to then.”

Viktor could tell that his mate was still on-edge from the conversation, but thankfully did not push it further. Patience ran thin with so many negative emotions swirling in the back of his mind – emotions Viktor was not accustomed to feeling. Anxiety was the least common, Viktor not being able to even recall the last time he had felt such a stomach-turning emotion. But sadness, that was one he would be glad to never feel again. The last time Viktor had felt true, heart-clenching, knee bashing sadness, had been when his father had passed. After grieving, the emotion threatened to rear its ugly head once more the day he found Yura, sobbing on the floor of the warehouse, waiting to be sold by the men whom had killed his parents. Instead, Viktor had forced the feeling back as he took Yura in, replacing it with anger and resentment. Children were special – they were the future of any organization. Of his rules, Viktor enforced the _no harm to children_ rule the strictest, having to have often told his men that children should be treated the way they would want the adults to replace them to act.

Yes, Viktor wanted a large family. Through his angry teenage years, it had only been Lilia telling him that if he continued to be so brash into his adulthood, that he could become a reckless father as well, that had him calming by the time he exited his teens. The step back from anger had allowed Viktor to take a more commanding role as the Pakhan, allowed him to focus on tactics and strategy rather than brute force. While Yura was still a reckless young alpha, Viktor aimed to build Yuuri to be strong, command respect.

And to do that, the omega’s anxiety would have to go.

He had torn the smaller man down. The attack after Yuuri’s escape may have been unplanned, having intended his men to only scare the omega into Viktor’s waiting arms, but the results had been better than intended. It hadn’t taken nearly as long to get Yuuri hooked on the alpha’s pheromones, and he suspected it wouldn’t take much more before Yuuri was complete putty in his hands. Ready for Viktor to mold into the perfect mate to command by his side.

Perhaps his darling in-laws were exactly what Yuuri needed as that final push.

~Mari~

“How can you two not see that there is clearly something wrong going on with him?” Mari practically yelled at her parents as soon as the three of them were in their hotel room. Flashy bastard had set them up in a double room suite, complete with sitting room and kitchenette, separate from the bedrooms. Something was wrong with Yuuri, she knew it. Knew he only wasn’t admitting to…whatever was wrong, because that knot-head was in the room with them. If she could only get him alone…

“Mari, dear, you’re overreacting,” her mother told her, busying herself with making evening tea on the two-burner stove. “Yuuri looked so well, if not a little skinny, though he always did lose a bit of weight after his heats…”

“Your katsudon will do him some good,” her father said, smiling warmly from the couch.

“Are you two even listening? Yuuri is bonded! To some alpha he didn’t even know! Don’t you two find that a bit odd?”

“Oh, but he looked so happy,” her mother sighed, allowing the tea to seep. “And our Yuuri has always worn his heart on his sleeve.”

“And every emotion on his face,” her father added, taking the cup from Hiroko.

That may be true, but…No, she wasn’t looking too much into things. There was something wrong about the whole situation. Yuuri had an answer for every question she had posed.

Or maybe she was acting too harshly…The way Yuuri had so confidently stood up to her, telling her that he wanted to be with Viktor…Was she over-reacting? If that flashy alpha could bring out her little brother’s confidence, wasn’t that a good thing? For all the years she had known Yuuri – his whole life – she had never once seen him stand up for himself. And yet he had that night. He had stood before her, practically yelled in her face, as he defended his choice to stay with the Russian alpha.

He didn’t look hurt, no bruises showing on the skin exposed by a sweater she swore he would never choose for himself. But did that really matter? She knew her brother well enough to know that if someone, say a mate, gave him the sweater as a gift, that he would wear it no matter how he felt about it. Shaking her head, Mari accepted the cup of tea and sat down in a single chair beside her parents on the couch. Her brother was mated, there was no doubt about that – the mark on his neck and the scent of that alpha all over him were facts. And Mari knew Yuuri wouldn’t let just anyone take something so precious from him – so how had it gotten there? If Yuuri thought it had been forced on him, she doubted he would be so close to the alpha, let alone defend him against her.

“Did he really let that knot-head mark him?” she asked aloud to no one in particular.

“That’s what he said, isn’t it?” Hiroko asked, blowing on her hot tea to cool it. “Our Yuuri doesn’t lie – he’s never been very good at it, has he?”

“Mm.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love to hear what you guys thought :) We'll have more of Mari's POV next chapter too - hope that's okay! :) I know a few of you mentioned in earlier chapters that switching POV isn't your favorites, so I try to only do it when I feel it's important to the story :)


	33. The Convincing

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mari, Yuuri

~Mari~

“And, why are they here?” Mari asked, eyeing the three alphas in the room. She remembered the young blond alpha, Yura, was Viktor’s brother, and the darker skinned alpha she couldn’t recall the name of, had also been present the night before at dinner. He hadn’t spoken much, only made sounds of agreement or the occasional odd comment as he conversed with the blond. But the third man, Mari didn’t recognize at all.

“Oh, uh, you remember Yura, Viktor’s brother, and his friend Otabek.” Mari narrowed her eyes at her brother’s hesitant tone. “And this is Cao Bin. Viktor assigned him as my personal guard when I arrived at the manor. Oh, but don’t worry! He won’t interrupt us or anything! He never even talks to me,” Yuuri laughed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Okay, so why are they just standing there?” she asked, jabbing her thumb toward Yura and Otabek. The blond leaned against the wall near the door to the sitting room they were in, scowling down at his phone as he tapped away. The other was just staring at them, making Mari’s instincts stand on edge.

“Um, it’s business hours right now,” Yuuri said as he pulled her back from her thoughts. “Viktor doesn’t want anyone getting lost in case you need to go to the bathroom, and end up accidentally interrupting a meeting.”

“So you’re not going to show us around your new home?” their father asked, and Mari grinned widely. When Yuuri denied to show them around, their parents would _have_ to admit that something was wrong! When he declined, paired with the three alphas standing in the room with them as “guards,” it would become obvious that Yuuri was hiding something.

“Of course I plan to show you around.” Mari felt her stomach turn to lead with Yuuri’s words. “We just can’t go down the business wing while they’re working. But I would love to show you my new studio, and my favorite rooms.”

“Oh, of course,” their mother nodded. “Wouldn’t want to interrupt your mate when he’s hard at work.”

“So there’s a whole wing of the house we’re not allowed in?” Mari pushed, hoping to get something, _anything,_ as a clue from her brother that something was wrong. If he would just _admit it._ Her eyes wandered back toward their “guards.” Maybe he wasn’t saying anything because they were around…

Yuuri tapped a single finger to his lips. “Ah, well, I suppose I could show you Viktor’s office if you wanted?”

A snorting laugh came from behind her, and she turned to see the young blond alpha with a smirk on his face. “Got something to share with the room?”

Yura shook his head. “Nah, I don’t think Yuuri over there would want me sharing.”

“Sharing what?” Mari quickly asked, even as Yuuri tried to hiss out the blonde’s name.

Yura looked up with a wicked grin, glanced at Yuuri, and then met Mari’s eyes. “Oh, just that everybody knows what Yuuri _really_ goes to Viktor’s office for.” The blond made an obscene gesture with his hand, poking his tongue into his cheek to extend it.

_“Yura!”_ Yuuri gasped.

Yuuri’s face might have been red, but Mari was _seeing_ it. Her vision narrowed in on the younger alpha as she shot to her feet. “Are you implying that my brother would lower himself to performing acts of a cheap whore? Apologize to him!”

The room went silent, and when Yura nodded his head in her direction, she turned to see her brother. His face was still red, but his eyes showed how deeply her words had hurt him. But why? She knew her brother – a virgin who was too anxious to even go on a date with an alpha, let alone perform sexual favors.

“Is that what you think?” he whispered, large cinnamon colored orbs holding her own chocolate ones captive. “That I’m some cheap whore now?”

“What? Yuuri, no! Of course not!” she rushed, waving her hands before her body.

“That’s what you just said, isn’t it?” he yelled himself, standing before her. “What I decide to do in my bond with my mate is none of your business!” He turned to where their parents sat on the love seat in the room. “Come on mom, dad, I’ll show you guys my studio.”

As Yuuri pushed passed her, their mother gave her a disapproving look. “Mari, you’ve gone too far this time. You owe your brother an apology.”

Mari sighed and followed her parents from the room, the tanned alpha, Otabek, closing the door behind her.

~Yuuri~

“Why would you say something like that?” Yuuri hissed at Yura as they walked side-by-side toward the dance studio. His parents trailed behind, but they were chatting with – or, more accurately, chatting at – Cao Bin about how well decorated the manor was. But for Yura to have said something like that? Something so _private_ about his life?

“I did you a favor,” the young alpha told him, shrugging his shoulders but having the good grace to keep his voice down.

“A favor?” Yuuri was shocked. In what world, would what Yura did be a _favor?_ “I barely managed to hold myself together!”

“But you did.” Yura’s words almost made Yuuri stop. “Hopefully that nosy sister of yours won’t want to know too much more about what your relationship is like with the old man.”

Oh. Yuuri should have known. From the few months he had known Yura, the feisty alpha never did anything without a reason. Sure, he was blunt and brash at times, but never unnecessarily cruel. What’s more, he also seemed to know where Yuuri’s limit was, and when to push it. Just as he had done the several occasions he had given the omega advice. Glancing back as he stopped before the studio doors, he saw his sister frowning at the floor, appearing deep in thought. Maybe Yura was right – the seemingly unnecessary partly-true information about his sex life with Viktor, may prevent Mari from pushing for more information.

“Is this it?” his mother asked, bringing Yuuri back to the moment. He had to make it through the day.

“Oh, yes! This is the studio Viktor had prepared for me,” Yuuri told them, opening the door as the motion censored lights activated. The sweat towel he had left on the floor the other day by accident was gone, presumably picked up by one of the maids.

“Oh, wow,” his father commented as everyone gathered inside. “This is bigger than Minako’s place?”

Yuuri nodded. “Yah, by a fair bit too. It has everything I could think of to want. It even has its own bathroom.”

“That basta-” Mari cut herself off and cleared her throat. “Viktor really thought of everything?”

“Well, he had Lilia Baranovskaya design it. She used to be a prima ballerina here in Russia a while ago,” Yuuri admitted, smiling as he looked around the room.

“That must have cost quite a bit, having a former prima design the room?” his father asked, almost looking worried at the prospect of Viktor spending so much money on a gift for Yuuri. If only he knew how much the alpha spent on suits he left on the floor to wrinkle.

Yuuri chuckled at the thought but shook his head. “No, I don’t think it cost him any extra to have the room designed. Lilia is practically his mother.”

“Practically?” Mari asked, and Yuuri cursed himself. He should have just agreed with his father, said he wasn’t sure how much it was, and moved on from there.

“We were both adopted,” Yura spoke up when Yuuri failed to find an answer. “Yakov and Lilia raised us as if we were their own. That’s all that needs to be said.”

“Oh, you poor thing,” his mother cooed, moving to grasp a surprised Yura’s hand in both of her warm, motherly ones. “I am so sorry for the loss of your family, but I am glad you found a new one. And now you have us, too. If you’re comfortable, you can call me momma Hiroko.”

“Mom, I don’t think he’ll want to,” Yuuri and Mari began to say at the same time.

“Thank you, momma Hiroko,” Yura said, surprising both siblings. “I’m excited to try your pork cutlet bowl thing. Yuuri wouldn’t shut up about it last week.”

Yuuri flushed. “I didn’t really talk about it that much! I wanted it for the party, but we figured it would be hard to serve on the ship.”

Hiroko smiled, and Yuuri smiled along with her, thankful that Yura was at least acting nice to his mother, even if he didn’t mean it. Honestly, at this point Yuuri wasn’t sure if it was all an act from the feisty alpha.

“Come on, I’ll show you guys the rest of the manor,” Yuuri announced, leading the way.

The rest of the tour was more enjoyable than Yuuri thought it was going to be. His parents were so excited about every room he showed them, that he found he wanted to keep going just to see them smile all over again with the next room. Mari was also much more cooperative, which eased Yuuri’s anxiety over the whole situation, and he found himself joking with her as they used to when he was at the onsen in Japan. At the library, he mentioned that he spent most of his time before dinner in the room playing Mario Kart with Yura, who Yuuri swore turned slightly pink, but would never point out.

He had even shown them Viktor’s office. Thankfully, Viktor wasn’t meeting with anyone at the moment in the room, and the alpha had greeted him and his mother with a hug each. He expertly interacted with his parents, asking them how they liked the manor and if he could get them anything. It was all so _normal,_ that Yuuri almost forgot how he had wound up in the situation to begin with. It made him wish he had met Viktor under different circumstances, and that the alpha lived a different life. That they lived a different life. If they did, Yuuri could see in the corners of his imagination, himself and Viktor relaxing in the onsen and taking Makka for walks on the beach as she chased seagulls. A simpler, less dangerous life.

Mentally shaking his head, Yuuri led his family back to the original sitting room they began their day in with a smile. “Well, that’s the tour!”

“There’s no way that was the whole manor,” Mari accused, raising an eyebrow as she fell back onto a chair. “What about your room?”

“I can’t show you my room,” Yuuri told her, pushing his anxiety back as he too sat in his own chair, their parents resuming their spot on the love seat couch. “My nests are out, and I’m sure Viktor wouldn’t like the scent of another alpha in our room. Even the maids who clean our room are both betas.”

“Nests?” Mari asked. “All this room and he didn’t give you a nesting room?”

Yuuri could hear the suspicion back in her voice, and almost agreed with the way Yura rolled his eyes at her question. “Actually, I have a private nest. It’s secure, and Viktor had a small private bathroom attached to it for me so I wouldn’t have to leave.” The lie was much easier to tell than he would have liked, probably because it wasn’t all a lie. His inner omega liked to remind him that the cage was there for protection. And truthfully, Yuuri hadn’t spent much time in there since the bonding. Viktor even stopped leashing him when they returned from the cruise. “But my permanent nest is set up on the bed for Viktor and I to share, so I can’t let you in.”

“Oh, our little Yuuri is all grown up!” his mother gushed, reaching out to hold his father’s hand. “He has a stable nest to share with his mate! All your traveling, using those store-bought nesting kits worried me so much. You’d always come home looking so tired from tours.”

Yuuri nodded, silently agreeing with his mother. Even if he didn’t want to admit it, the permanent nest did make him feel much more relaxed. Combined with its stability, Viktor’s protective alpha scent was imbedded in every piece, calling to his inner omega to never leave.

“What happened to you, Yuuri?” Mari asked, almost sadly as she caught Yuuri’s eyes.

And Yuuri swore he almost broke. He almost collapsed into his own hands and sobbed to his sister and their parents about all the hardships he’s gone through. About meeting Seung-gil and the betrayal of a friend. About the auction and how Viktor _bought him_ for an absurd amount of money. About Officer Lambiel, the plan for Yuuri’s escape and what happened in the woods, how if Viktor hadn’t shown up he was sure all those terrible things would have happened to him. How Yuuri was sure Officer Lambiel hadn’t resigned, but Yuuri was too afraid to ask what had happened to the kind man who tried to help him. Yuuri almost collapsed into his mother’s arms and told her about his heat and how he had caved to his omega instincts and asked Viktor to join him. About how _he wanted Viktor to bond him more than he wanted the alpha’s knot._ And all the shame he felt when he remembered.

But mostly, he wanted to tell his mom how much he missed her. How he had wanted to call her every day since he arrived in Russia.

But he didn’t. He wasn’t sure Viktor would go as far as to have his family killed if Yuuri slipped up, but he also wasn’t completely sure the alpha _wouldn’t._ And that scared him. It’s what reminded him that the big happy family he and Viktor were playing at in the office with his parents and sister, was all just an act. As a dancer, Yuuri used his body to act, to tell stories. Now, he needed to use his voice.

“I don’t know what you mean,” he told his sister, pulling his eyebrows together to appear confused.

“When did my hard-working brother turn into someone who relied on _maids_ to clean up after him?” she asked, sounding on the verge of disgusted. It hurt, more than Yuuri would say. “The Yuuri I know wouldn’t just let people do stuff for him. Wouldn’t just run off to Russia with some alpha he barely knew and bond with him.”

Yuuri wanted to tell her she was right, but bit his tongue. “I spent the last few years touring the world. I wasn’t home long enough at a time for you to really know who I’ve grown to be as an adult.” The words felt like acid in his mouth. But if hurting his sister’s feelings would keep her quiet and keep her safe, then that’s what he would do. “Especially not with how often you spent at Minako’s bar, drinking and smoking those nasty cigarettes all night.”

Before Mari could open her mouth, the shocked hurt flashing across her face, their father spoke up. “Come now you two. You get to see each other after months and you’ve spent all your time fighting?”

Their mother stood, a look of disapproval once more upon her features. “Your father is right. It makes me sad to see my only two children fighting when we should be happy that we found our Yuuri, safe and happy. It might not have been what any of us were expecting, but I would much rather see my only son being well taken care of than see him hurt.” She paused, allowing the words to sink into both of them. “Yuuri, would you help me prepare dinner?”

Yuuri stood as he nodded and followed him mother from the room, Cao Bin following behind. With one last glance back, Yuuri saw his father place one large, callused hand on his sister’s knee. Before the door closed, Yuuri received a single nod from where Otabek stood against the wall beside Yura. Yuuri just hoped he was doing the right thing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry there was so much dialogue in this one! We'll see the dinner in the next chapter :) as always, I love to hear what you guys think! :)


	34. The Dinner

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri, Mari, Viktor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am SO sorry this took so long! My husband actually got sick, and it took a while for us to get back into our regular schedule after he got to return to work. He's better, and I'm back to writing :)
> 
> The term "svekrov’" that appears toward the beginning of the chapter is a Russian term for one's mother-in-law, specifically your husband's mother.

His mother never mentioned the altercation between Yuuri and Mari, and he was grateful. With just his mother and Cao Bin in the large, professional kitchen, Yuuri wasn’t confident he could lie in a heart-to-heart, mother-son talk. But Yuuri had no need to lie. The pair worked silently beside one another, with Yuuri preparing the ingredients and his mother doing the actual cooking. It was nice. Familiar.

“Something smells good in here.” Yuuri turned to see that it was Viktor who had spoken, the alpha striding into the kitchen, a sparkle of interest in his eyes. Viktor wrapped one arm around Yuuri’s waist and kissed the side of his head before turning to Hiroko. “Were you able to find everything here?”

“Oh, yes! And your kitchen is marvelous. Yuuri, I’m surprised you don’t spend more time in here,” his mother said, giving the pair a warm smile.

Yuuri looked at Viktor from the corner of his eye. “Well, Viktor has an amazing chef. It would be nice to have more food from back in Japan though. The chef usually makes traditional Russian or French.”

Viktor reached around Yuuri and picked a sliced carrot from the side dish Yuuri was preparing, popping the vegetable in his mouth with a grin. “We can certainly arrange that. We could spend more time in here together, if that’s what you wish.”

Yuuri pushed the image of himself teaching a domestic looking Viktor how to make dishes from his home country from his mind, along with the warmth that threatened to build within his chest. Instead, he offered the alpha a smile of his own. “I’d like that.”

Hiroko placed a warm hand on each of their arms, smiling warmly at the pair. “Oh, it’s so good to see how well you get along. Your father and I were so worried about you when you didn’t call us about the audition.” She moved her hand to cup Yuuri’s cheek. “But the heart wants what the heart wants, doesn’t it? You should always listen to your heart, it’s always right.”

“Wonderful words, svekrov’,” Viktor cut in, popping another carrot into his mouth. “Is there anything I can do to help with dinner?”

Hiroko waved him off, shooing him with the towel from her shoulder. “No, no! You work so hard to provide for Yuuri, let us treat you. If you have no work, go and relax.”

Viktor’s smile reached his eyes as he backed away with his hands up in surrender. “It is more like I am hiding from my work.” His eyes locked with Yuuri’s, the smile appearing genuine making Yuuri hold his breath. “I shall see you at dinner, love.”

Hiroko turned back to preparing the pork cutlets. “He is good, Yuuri.”

“Yah,” Yuuri mumbled, uncommitted as he turned back to his own task, Yura’s words from all those weeks ago floating to his mind at his mother’s statement. _“Viktor might be a bad man, but he’s not a bad guy.”_

The way Viktor had interacted with Yuuri’s mother made him forget, for even a few minutes, how his life could have turned out. If Viktor were a different person. If they had met under different circumstances. This could have been his life. Yuuri and Viktor playfully in the kitchen with his mother as she prepared katsudon. It was a nice fantasy, but he knew he lived a radically different life now. He lived in Russia under house arrest and mated to the Pakhan of the Russian Bratva. But unsure if it was because of the bond, or because he had been getting to see more sides of the Russian alpha, Yuuri was finding it more and more difficult to hate, even more difficult to simply _dislike,_ Viktor.

Sure, Viktor was aggressive and Yuuri always felt as if he were in a game he wasn’t aware he was playing, but the alpha hadn’t been _mean,_ per se. He had never deprived Yuuri of anything. And while Viktor took the dominant role in their sex life, whenever the pair had coupled, it had been because _Yuuri_ had initiated the act. Yuuri couldn’t stop the reoccurring thoughts that the alpha behaved the way he did because of the environment he grew up in – that he _wanted Yuuri,_ as he was, as a mate. And if his mother liked Viktor…

Perhaps he should give the alpha more of a chance. Keep his mind open.

“Yuuri, do you have the onion ready?” his mother’s words brought him back to his task at hand. While he had been thinking, he had indeed cut the onion, and passed the bowl to her.

“Right here. I’ve finished the vegetables for the side dishes too, what do you want next?” He could think about all that later. For now, he wanted to enjoy the time he had with his mother.

“Would you make the tempura?”

~

Yuuri thought dinner with his sister would be more awkward than it was. Apparently, whatever talk their father had given her worked, because she settled into teasing Yura as if she were his sister as well. Yuuri laughed, his heart warm at his family. He had missed them. Missed this.

Even Viktor had joined the fun, laughing at how Yura fumbled with his chopsticks before resigning to a fork. Yuuri promised to help the young alpha practice more, Yura swearing him to his words. Viktor fell into an easy conversation with Toshiya, recounting the few times he had been to Japan; although he admitted he had not been back since he was in his late teenage years, he mentioned he would love to take some time off so he and Yuuri could visit the onsen. Yuuri practically beamed at the idea, hoping with all his might that Viktor wasn’t merely saying so for the sake of conversation.

And just like that, everything seemed…normal. Right.

Mari pushed back from her chair and placed her napkin on the table beside her mostly empty bowl of katsudon. “I need to use the restroom,” she announced.

Yura wiped his mouth and stood as well. “I do too. I’ll show you the way.”

Yuuri smiled when Mari didn’t argue, turning his attention back to his mother and what she was saying. She told him all about Yuko and her triplets, how they had just started skating lessons, and how Minako missed him. After a few minutes, Viktor’s phone chimed. The alpha pulled it from his pocket casually, before carefully pushing himself from his seat and extending a hand to Yuuri.

“It would seem your sister tried to make her way back while Yura was still in the restroom, and got herself lost. Yura can’t find her. Come, it will be quicker if we search together.”

Yuuri furrowed his brow and stood, accepting Viktor’s hand. “She should at least be in this section of the manor still, right?”

“Oh, dear, would you like us to help?” Hiroko asked worriedly.

“No, that’s alright svekrov’, we wouldn’t want you getting lost as well.” Viktor looked at Otabek. “Let us know if she finds her way back before we do?”

Otabek nodded and Viktor led Yuuri from the dining hall. As soon as the pair were out of sight of the room, Viktor turned them down the hall leading toward his office. 

“Yuuri, there is something I need you to do.”

Yuuri glanced as Viktor led him along. “Shouldn’t we be finding Mari?”

Viktor shook his head. “Your dear sister is rummaging in my office.”

“But you said-”

“I know what I said,” Viktor cut him off. “I had a feeling she would try and snoop around my manor, so I instructed Yura that should she try and go off on her own, that he would follow her and inform me where she went. As soon as she stopped before my office, he sent me a text.”

Yuuri was confused, and more than a little embarrassed for his sister. Worry bloomed in his stomach. “But if she’s in your office-”

Viktor stopped and gently cupped Yuuri’s cheek with a smile. “Do not worry love, anything she could find about who I really am is safely stored away. I left ordinary business papers in my desk, nothing more.”

The pair started walking again. “So why don’t we wait for her to come back, satisfied that you’re some regular business man?”

The grin that split Viktor’s features made Yuuri uneasy. “Because my dear, we are going to give your sister a show. Let her see in no uncertain terms that we are a happily mated couple. And you, are going to take the lead. Play your part well, and we won’t have to worry about her poking her nose where it doesn’t belong, anymore.”

“Are you asking me to – to – to have _sex_ where my sister will _know_ what we’re doing?” Yuuri asked, appalled. Surly Viktor wouldn’t be asking that of him.

“That is exactly what I’m saying.”

“No.” Viktor stopped and turned to him, a single eyebrow raised in question. Yuuri swallowed and continued. “No, I won’t do it. You can’t just – just _use_ me like that. I am a _person,_ Viktor.”

Viktor stepped into Yuuri’s space and cupped his chin, tilting it until their eyes locked. “Yes, but you are also _my_ omega. And you _will_ obey me when I tell you something.”

Yuuri tried to shake his head but Viktor held him strong. “No. I won’t just be some omega that you can have sex with whenever you _want_ something. You can’t just use me like this. I won’t do it. You can’t make me.”

Viktor growled, fingers turning white with the force of holding Yuuri in place. “I _can_ make you, in case you forgot who your alpha is, little one. One command could have you _begging_ me to knot you on the table in front of your whole family.”

Fear shot through Yuuri faster than he thought it ever could. “You wouldn’t.”

Viktor’s eyes shone dangerously. “I would, if that is what I thought would be needed to teach you a lesson. But I don’t. I know you’re smarter than that. Smart enough not to force me to go there. Instead, you are going to do exactly what I told you that you would do. Because if your sister does not stop her snooping around, I will have no choice but to make sure she is unable to do so ever again. Permanently.”

Yuuri swallowed and licked his lips, eyes welling with unshed tears. “You would…” his throat clenched painfully, unable to finish the sentence and ask if his mate would truly have his sister killed.

“Yes, I would.” Viktor’s voice softened as his grip loosened to gently rub Yuuri’s cheek. “I would do anything to protect what we have.”

~

Mari didn’t know what she was looking for, but she couldn’t find it. Spending reports and work orders filled the drawers of the large wooden desk in Viktor’s office. She thought she may have found something when she came across a rolled-up blueprint, but it turned out to be a request for a remodel of a home, the work order attached by a paperclip. Huffing, she began looking over one of the bookshelves in the office, determined to find…well, _something._ That is, until she heard rustling outside the door, followed by a _thump_ against the wall.

Quickly taking in her surroundings, Mari spotted the closet she had looked through earlier – and had come up empty-handed again – and shuffled inside. She managed to close the door and press herself to the back wall just as the office door opened. Leaning forward slightly, she strained to hear what was being said.

“Yuuri, we’re supposed to be looking for your sister,” came Viktor’s voice.

“Yura’s looking for her, and Otabek will let us know if she finds her way back,” Yuuri responded.

They were talking about her. They had been looking for her? How long had she been gone? Surly not more than a few minutes after she slipped away from the rowdy young alpha.

“Besides, we can make it quick, right?” Mari heard a figure fall back onto something soft, presumably the couch along the wall near the closet. Some shuffling was heard, followed by Yuuri’s voice, deeper than before. “If only Mari knew how right Yura had been earlier. There _is_ only one reason I visit you in your office.”

Mari thought she was going to lose her dinner. Was her baby brother going to…have sex, in an office, while he thought she was lost? Worse yet, he was going to do it without knowing she was hiding in the closet right next to him. Should she give up her hiding place now and stop them? But if she did, they would know she had been snooping around Viktor’s office without permission. She would make something up, like she had gotten lost, but then why did she hide? It would never work. Even if she could somehow convince Yuuri that she hadn’t been up to anything erroneous, she knew Viktor would never believe her. She would see in his eyes how smart he was. No, she would have to try and hold back her dinner, and hope her brother was right when he said _quick._

“You are _insatiable,_ love,” Viktor practically purred. “We don’t have time for a knot though.”

_Thank whatever gods were listening to her prayers,_ Mari thought.

She heard Yuuri whine. “You’ll give me one later, right?”

Viktor chuckled over the sound of rustling fabric. “I’ll give you two if you’re really good. Now, let me prepare you.”

Yuuri moaned, and Mari swore if she could bleach her brain from the sound she would. “I just want you in me now, alpha.”

Mari was no longer certain she wasn’t going to lose her dinner, despite her best efforts.

“Shh, little one. I don’t want to hurt you.”

Mari squeezed her eyes shut and clasped both hands over her mouth – either to keep herself from losing her dinner, or to keep from calling out for them to stop, she wasn’t sure. The sounds of her brother’s moans seemed to filter directly into the closet, followed by the slapping of skin over the couch hitting the wall. No way, that wasn’t her brother. Yuuri wouldn’t be having sex with some alpha on an office couch, during the middle of what was supposed to be dinner! Knowing their parents were just down the hall!

But yet, here he was. At twenty-three, Yuuri was mated to some alpha from Russia who seemed to adore her brother. He made sure Yuuri wanted for nothing. There was a roof over his head, clothes on his body, and food on his table. And Yuuri seemed to really like him. And Mari had…she had said such horrible things to him. _About_ him. Her baby brother was so grown now. How had she missed it? When had they stopped playing Mario Kart late into the night? When had she stopped attending his every performance? Perhaps she didn’t know her brother as much as she thought she did.

A bang on the closet door followed by a loud moan from her brother forced her back to reality with a flinch. It sounded as if Yuuri was now being held against the closet door while Viktor continued to…She wouldn’t finish the thought. _Refused_ to think about her brother being fucked into even as she was forced to hear the proof.  
Thankfully, it didn’t last as long as it could have. Her brother had called out the alpha’s name only moments before she heard him groan. There was heavy panting before she heard a body slide down the closet door.

“Feeling better?” Viktor’s voice was tender, full of admiration, when he spoke.

Yuuri hummed. “Much. My legs are a bit wobbly though. Help me dress?”

Mari heard the pair kiss, and kept her eyes closed. _Please just leave._

“I would love to. Then we really should find your sister.”

“She might have already found her way back.”

Rustling was heard, followed by the office door opening and clicking shut. She waited several breaths, before daring to venture from her hiding place. The room looked exactly as it had before she hid, no evidence of what had just happened, save for a handful of facial tissues in the garbage basket near the desk. Mari averted her eyes and made her way to the door, sheer will power preventing her from losing her dinner. Pressing her ear to the door she listed carefully for any movement, before carefully making her way into the hallway. She had to make it back to the dining room, and somehow not let on that she knew what had happened.

~

Viktor rubbed soothing circles on Yuuri’s back as they walked around the halls, avoiding the route he was sure Mari would take back to the dining room, as they waited for Yuuri’s face to stop flushing red. He was rather cute, blushing to his ears from embarrassment. Truly, Viktor wished he hadn’t had to threaten his mate, but it appeared his Yuuri was far more stubborn than he had given him credit for. He had no desire to have any members of his mate’s family offed, but wouldn’t hesitate if it kept the identity of the Bratva safe. Kept Yuuri safe. Yuuri was his family now, the omega’s blood second to what Viktor could give him. And he would let nothing take that from him.

Yuuri was his.

When his phone chimed once more, he pulled the device from his pocket and read the message from Otabek, alerting them that Mari had made it back to the dining room. Slowly, Viktor turned Yuuri down another hall, making their way back now that his mate appeared calmer.

“Do you,” Yuuri started, before pausing to take a breath. Viktor waited patiently for him to begin again. “Do you think it worked?”

“Hmm,” Viktor hummed, placing a kiss on Yuuri’s temple. “I believe it did.”

Yuuri sighed in relief, and Viktor watched as the omega placed a smile on his face before entering the dining hall once more. “Mari! We were looking everywhere for you!”

Mari met Yuuri’s gaze, before flicking to Viktor and averting her gaze altogether. “Were you?”

Yuuri tilted his head. Yes, his mate was getting better at putting on a brave face. It filled Viktor with pride. “Of course we were. Where else would we be?”

Mari didn’t answer, and Viktor led them back to their seats, moments before a grumbling Yura made his way back into the room. He watched as Yura said something about Mari not waiting and causing him all that trouble, and as the female alpha apologized. It wasn’t surprising when Mari wouldn’t meet his or Yuuri’s gazes for the rest of dinner.

After dinner, Viktor thanked the Katsuki’s for making the trip all the way out to Russia to see them, and promised to bring Yuuri and himself to see them in Japan the next time he got time off work. He gave Yuuri time to hug each member of his family, and even smiled when his mate nuzzled his beta mother’s hair affectionately. Viktor wondered how Yuuri would be as a parent.

“We hope to see you soon, Yuuri,” Toshiya hugged his son before shaking Viktor’s hand. “Thank you, for taking care of our boy.”

Viktor returned the handshake, before resting his hand on Yuuri’s waist. “It’s my pleasure.”

Mari said nothing but nodded in Viktor’s direction before hugging Yuuri tightly. “Take care of yourself.”

“Of course,” Yuuri promised, stepping back into Viktor’s arms. “Safe travels.”

Yes, his Yuuri was becoming a wonderful little actor. Viktor knew he had made the right decision all those weeks ago in New York. Yuuri would do well by his side.


	35. The Turning Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri, Viktor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's short, but I'm hoping this sets us up for upcoming chapters! :)

Yuuri was angry. Fuming. Furious. _Livid._

For a while, he had stood in the entryway to the manor, relief and sadness washing over him as his family had left. They were safe. No longer within the manor and on their way out of Russia back to Japan where they would be out of Viktor’s reach. He didn’t know how long it would be before he would see them again, or if he would be allowed some way of communication, but at least they knew he was fine.

Fine.

He was fine.

The very thought of even considering his situation to be _fine_ is what sparked the fire. It started in his chest, the white-hot burn of _fury_ lashing out to trembling fingers and tense muscles. Yuuri had never felt anger so intense before. Never had he felt such…hatred.

No. Not hatred.

_Betrayal._

Yuuri felt betrayed, and was angry at Viktor. But more than anything, he was angry with himself. At what point had he begun to feel comfortable in the manor? When had the cuffs stopped irritating the glands on his wrist? When did Cao Bin’s presence begin to make him feel secure? When had Viktor’s scent begun to calm his nerves and his touch become grounding?

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Spinning on his heel, he threw Viktor a glare that he hoped got his message across, and rushed off toward their bedroom. Closing the door with perhaps a bit too much force, Yuuri paced the bedroom. His eyes kept wandering back toward the large bed in the center. To his nest.

Disgust rolled in Yuuri’s stomach, feeding the anger threatening to boil over.

He had built a nest. A nest _intended_ to be shared with his alpha. With Viktor. The nest made Yuuri feel comfortable, and when Viktor’s alpha scent covered him during the night, he always felt safe. As if nothing could hurt him as long as he was in the nest with his alpha.

That was how nests were supposed to make omegas feel. Safe. Protected. Cared for. Cherished…Loved.

But not Viktor. Yuuri knew he shouldn’t feel any of those emotions toward the alpha. Toward the man who had purchased him from an illegal black market auction. But it was hard. Viktor was hot and cold. He was both Yuuri’s savior and his executioner. How could a man who had defended Yuuri’s honor only days before on the cruise ship be the same man who had threatened to have his sister killed?

The door opened and Yuuri tore his gaze from the nest. Viktor casually strode over, prompting Yuuri to take a step back. The indifferent look upon the alpha’s face gave way for a new wave of anger.

“You are angry.” Viktor had said it so calmly, as if he were bringing up little more than the weather.

Yuuri huffed. “What gave that away?”

Viktor met Yuuri’s agitated look with a carefully placed mask. “Even if I could not feel it through the bond, I am not so heedless as to be unaware that my mate is unhappy.”  
“So now you care me?” Something in the back of Yuuri’s mind told him to stop. That he shouldn’t be speaking to Viktor that way. That Viktor was the Pakhan and had threatened to have his sister killed only a few hours prior. That Viktor was a dangerous man.

“When have I not cared for you?” The words were so light and carefully said, Yuuri was almost certain he had misheard.

“What?”

“Do not make me repeat myself.” Viktor pushed his hands into the pockets of his dress pants. “I have done nothing but take care of you since the moment you fell into my care. When you were shackled I set you free. When you had nothing to wear I provided you with clothes. I protected you in a house full of un-mated alphas. Gave you any nesting materials you could ever desire. I have provided you with food and a place to sleep. Given you company so you would not be alone.”

Yuuri felt his tongue dry in his mouth, even as Viktor continued.

“I have allowed you to adjust at your own pace, and have been more than lenient. When you ran, I came for you. When you were attacked, I killed for you. When you dropped, I stayed by your side and comforted you. And when you were insulted, I stood up for you. I have allowed you the freedom to do what you please with your days here. I have sheltered and protected you from the world I am a part of – shielded you from horrors that would haunt your every dream. Now, tell me little one – when have I not cared for you?”

Yuuri’s throat worked to swallow saliva that wasn’t there. “I – I didn’t ask for this.”

“No, you did not.”

The admission from the alpha eased some of the anger in Yuuri’s chest. “You threatened to kill my sister. You made me – made me do something to embarrassing in front of her.”

“Yes, I did.” There was no remorse in the alpha’s tone.

Hot tears of anger or shame prickled in the corners of Yuuri’s eyes. “Why?”

Why – it was the question Yuuri had been asking silently in his mind for weeks. Why him? Why this and why that? Why was Viktor an attentive alpha one moment and cold the next? Why does Viktor’s eyes light up with childlike glee when he pets Makkachin, but at other times look like he would kill? Nothing made sense.

_Please, explain something – anything!_

“Because this is my life.” Viktor’s words were much calmer and somber than Yuuri was expecting. It was like cold water had been thrown over the burning rage in his chest. For a moment, the pair simply looked at one another. Viktor took a few steps forward and raised a hand to cup Yuuri’s cheek. “We live in two different worlds. You are like a single star shining bright in my night sky. I cannot change who I am, or what I do to provide us with a comfortable life. But I can protect you from it. And if embarrassing you and hurting your feelings is what I must do to keep you safe, then so be it. I will take your anger and your sorrow. This may not be the life you wanted little one, but I will do my best to make it a comfortable one.”

Yuuri was stunned. Was that truly how Viktor saw everything? Was everything he had done in some odd attempt to protect Yuuri? Did Viktor just want Yuuri to be his partner? Somebody the alpha could lean on and come home to after a difficult day? The Bratva was all Viktor knew…Was Yuuri an escape into a normal life? Did Viktor… _care_ for Yuuri?

Yuuri’s heart clenched, overcome with the desire to comfort the vulnerable alpha before him. Stepping closer, Yuuri slowly wrapped his arms around Viktor and rested his head upon his chest. Pulling the omega closer, Viktor nuzzled his face on the top of Yuuri’s head.

“Come,” Viktor spoke softly, warm breath tickling the hair atop Yuuri’s head. “I have much work to attend to before the night is over.”

Slowly, Yuuri untangled himself from the alpha’s arms and followed him to the cage. He settled into the nest, and Viktor placed a gentle kiss to Yuuri’s forehead before locking the cage and leaving. Once alone, Yuuri burrowed himself under a pile of blankets and thought back to everything the alpha had said.

Perhaps, he should get to know Viktor. Just a bit more.

~

Viktor barely managed to keep the smirk from his lips until the bedroom doors had closed behind him. The embarrassment, the relief, and the sadness had all been emotions he had expected from his darling little omega. But the sudden rush of pure, uninhibited wrath had surprised him. The look he had thrown Viktor before stomping off had been more than enough to push the alpha into following him. After a few moments of waiting outside their bedroom, the anger had continued to flow through the bond, and Viktor pushed his way inside the room.

Oh, and how beautiful his little mate had been. Muscles tense and eyes wild with rage, Yuuri was everything Viktor hadn’t known he could be. Yes, he kept surprising Viktor. Proving further that he was the perfect mate of the Pakhan.

And the way he had spoken to him! If Viktor hadn’t been so fascinated, so convinced that Yuuri was his perfect mate, the alpha would have been angry himself. None other than Yura and Yakov dared to raise their voice to him. Especially not after a warning. But his Yuuri had been fearless in his anger.

It had been wonderful, chipping away at Yuuri’s defensive wall he had built. In only a few sweet sentences, Viktor had managed to clear away the omega’s anger and give him days’ worth of words to ponder. The bond was turning out to be more useful than Viktor had originally thought. He knew that when he was kind, a warm feeling bloomed at the back of his mind through the bond. And when he was cruel, self-loathing would set in from the omega. Viktor felt like he had strapped the omega to a train, and he was changing the tracks where each new path led to a new emotion. Back and forth he was pushing and pulling the omega.

Now with this, Viktor was certain Yuuri would begin to see him as someone more _human_ than the omega had viewed him before. His words may have been overly sweet, but they weren’t all lies. No, Viktor had to admit that he was beginning to care for the little omega, in some odd way. He wouldn’t go as far as to label the feeling _affection,_ but maybe – fascination.

Yes, Yuuri Nikiforov was _fascinating._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, I love to hear what you guys think! I know it's short, but I was pretty excited for this chapter :)


	36. The Surprise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yuuri

Yuuri felt lonely. It had been several days since he had seen Viktor. And at first, it had been a small blessing. The distance had allowed Yuuri time to sift through his thoughts. There was very clearly miscommunication and misunderstandings between him and Viktor. He needed Viktor to see him as a _person,_ not just an omega. That thought had led Yuuri back to the way he had been treated all these weeks at the manor, and his blood had boiled all over again. But then he thought of Viktor’s words after his family had left. How everything he did he did for Yuuri. How the alpha wanted to protect him and care for him.

Yuuri’s inner omega had sung with joy at the memory.

And isn’t that what Viktor was doing? Caring for him? Protecting him? Hadn’t Viktor, in his own messed-up way, been seeing Yuuri as a person more and more lately? Wasn’t he showing Yuuri that he trusted him by allowing him access to the manor and the grounds, even if he was guarded at all times?

Guarded.

Yuuri wasn’t sure when he had begun to see Cao Bin’s presence as a guard rather than a babysitter or monitor as he had weeks ago. His anger had fizzled out the more he thought of the good Viktor had done. He had provided Omega Safe products because he thought that was what Yuuri needed – even if he was wrong. Sure, he had locked Yuuri in a cage, but he had justified it by saying it was for Yuuri’s safety before they were bonded. He had done other things that disgusted Yuuri, like smelling his scent gland on his wrist multiple times before they bonded, but it was common for alphas courting an omega. Had Viktor been courting him? Is that what that had been? Showering him in nesting materials and expensive clothes? Allowing Phichit to purchase whatever he thought Yuuri would need?

Viktor was trying to be a good alpha. That much became more and more clear to Yuuri the longer he sat alone with his thoughts.

Had Yuuri been trying to push him too fast? Was he expecting too much change from the alpha? It had only been around ten weeks since he had been brought to the manor. Ten weeks was nothing compared to the lifetime of thoughts and expectations Viktor had been raised to believe about omegas and mating.

Yuuri decided – he would be patient. Just as he had decided early on to let the use of Omega Safe products go, so too would he begin to fret less over the small things. Large injustices he would speak up against. So, on the second day of not seeing Viktor, Yuuri showered after dancing in the morning, and had set out toward Viktor’s office.

Except Viktor hadn’t been in his office. And he hadn’t seen Yura in the library, and Phichit hadn’t been to visit. He had wondered the manor in search of the alpha, intent on having a civil conversation with him, but had come up empty. Lunch had passed, and so had dinner, and still he had not found Viktor. Two days turned into three and three into four and four into five. Five days Yuuri spent alone with his thoughts.

And now, he was lonely. Curled up and clutching Viktor’s pillow in their shared nest on the bed, Yuuri tried calling Viktor through their bond. He tried focusing on his feeling of loneliness, hoping Viktor could feel him; but the longer he focused on the feeling, the worse it became. Tears brimming his eyes, Yuuri wondered if Viktor had abandoned him.

“Yuuri?”

Yuuri sat upright in the nest faster than he thought he could ever move. There, standing in the doorway, was Viktor. Yuuri felt his throat catch when he tried to speak, so he wordlessly held his arms open, inviting the alpha into the nest as he made small grabby motions with his hands. Taking long strides Viktor crossed the room as he discarded his suit jacket onto the floor and climbed into the nest. As soon as Viktor settled he pulled Yuuri into his arms, and gently guided the omega’s face into the scent gland at his neck.

“Shh, it’s okay little one, I’m here,” he crooned. “I could feel your distress through the bond. Tell me, what has you so upset?” Viktor was so calm when he spoke, it was almost as if he were unaware he was gone for so long.

Yuuri tightened his hold on the alpha’s dress shirt, unworried about the wrinkles he was sure to cause, and buried his face closer in the crook of Viktor’s neck. “I couldn’t – I couldn’t find you. I thought you – you – you were avoiding me.”

Viktor rubbed soothingly on Yuuri’s back. “Oh, shh, no little one. I would never,” he reassured. “I had some work outside the manor to look into. And after your outburst on Friday, I thought you would appreciate some space and time to yourself.”

Yuuri frantically shook his head but refused to pull away from the comforting scent of pine that was his alpha. The day to himself had been very much needed, but _five?_ It had been shocking. When he traveled for dance, Yuuri often spent weeks to himself as he prepared for auditions. He hadn’t been prepared for how much he would crave Viktor’s presence.

“You have to tell me – me,” Yuuri got out. “Talk – talk to me.”

“Shh, I will little one,” Viktor’s voice was soothing as he spoke. “I will tell you next time I have work to attend to outside. I apologize – I had not expected it to take so long.”

It was silent for what could have been minutes or hours, Yuuri didn’t care. His nerves eventually calmed and his body relaxed into Viktor’s embrace. At some point a deep rumble had begun in Viktor’s chest, and Yuuri focused all his attention on the calming sensation under his cheek. It was nice, and his inner omega wondered why he had ever wanted to run from the alpha.

“Are you okay?” Yuuri eventually broke the comfortable silence.

“Hmm?” Viktor asked, turning his head to gently kiss Yuuri’s temple.

“I mean, you were gone for so long…you said it was for work.” Yuuri didn’t want to elaborate.

“Ahh,” Viktor acknowledged gently. “I say work, but it was more of a personal investigation really. I have a surprise for you.”

“A surprise? What is it?”

Yuuri tried to sit up but Viktor pushed the omega’s head back to his chest with a chuckle. “It wouldn’t be a surprise if I told you. Tomorrow, little one. For now, _rest.”_

Yuuri hadn’t even realized how exhausted he had been. How little sleep he had gotten while Viktor was away as he wondered late into the night where he was and if he would return. He didn’t even register the subtlety of the alpha command.

~

The next morning the pair showered together as normal, but Viktor ushered Yuuri into the closet to get dressed without drawing a bath. A break in their normal morning routine wasn’t what Yuuri wanted after his unexpectedly weird mood the day before, but he held his tongue. Small things. Besides, he wanted to know what the surprise Viktor had planned for him was.

“Dress warmly,” Viktor told him as he opened a drawer on his own side and donned a pair of black leather gloves. “We’re going into town, and I don’t want you catching a cold.”

Yuuri had just shimmied a pair of black skinny jeans onto his legs when he froze, pants still undone. Slowly, he lifted his head, fully aware of how wide his eyes must be as he stared at the alpha. Surly he had misheard.

“I’m sorry – what?” Yuuri asked, competent speech evading him.

Viktor crossed the closet and began sifting through the sweaters hung on Yuuri’s side. “Your surprise is in town, so we’re going out. Hurry now, I want you to be able to enjoy your surprise for as long as you want.”

Yuuri didn’t need to be told twice. Quickly fastening his pants, he accepted the navy blue cashmere sweater Viktor had selected for him. It was warm and soft against his skin, and if Yuuri hadn’t been so excited about the idea of getting to go into town, he would have appreciated it more. He slipped on a pair of low-rise black leather boots and obediently held his wrists out for the blue diamond cuffs before turning for the matching collar when Viktor held it up. He was nervous wearing something so expensive in public, but with Viktor dressed in one of his tens-of-thousands-of-dollars suits, he supposed the alpha didn’t want him to look out of place beside him.

Town. Viktor was taking him into town.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter, sorry! I decided to break this one and the next one into two chapters instead of having it as one big one. Hope you're enjoying!


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